For Good
by bonesgadh
Summary: A sequel to "The new tournament". Beca is in New York, living her dream of becoming a music producer. Jesse is in L.A., working as an arranger for a local orchestra. Will their relationship survive despite the distance between them?
1. A missing loved one

**A/N: Hi! Here's chapter one of my new story, "For Good". It won't be as extensive as TNT, but I hope you like it anyway :) I never settle a specific day for updates, because it will all depend on how busy I am. There are some characters of my invention + a few from PP, but overall is _all_ Jeca.** **Expect some references to my previous story.**

 **Enjoy! :)**

* * *

 **Wednesday, December 7th, 2016**

Beca knew something was wrong from the moment Jesse didn't pick up the phone or answered any of her texts. He always called her and texted her back immediately, even when he was busy, and the lack of news was starting to get Beca extremely worried. The fact that they were more than 2400 miles apart wasn't helping, either.

She tried it one last time before going to bed that Wednesday. As always, it went straight to voice mail.

" _Hey_ , _it's Jesse. Text me._ "

"What the hell, dude?" She yelled at her phone in frustration. She threw it at the couch and looked out the window of her apartment, immersed in her thoughts.

It was December already, and the weather was cold outside. Beca worked at the _Residual Heat Record Label_ 's headquarters in Manhattan, New York, in the A&R department. Beca's main job consisted in finding and recruiting musical talent for the company. Her boss, Frank, was the A&R Director and usually sent her to visit clubs and bars to scout the bands that performed there. She also spent a considerable amount of time searching the Internet for leads using music blogs and fan pages, besides all types of social media. It was a demanding and rather exhausting job, but also very exciting and gratifying. She had also been perfecting her skills as a music producer, and had already helped Frank with two of his projects. She had been living in a nice apartment in Newport, Jersey City, for six months, loved her job and had made new friends, besides she was earning good money. However, there was something missing.

Jesse.

The only time they had separated before was when he graduated early and went to California to work. Beca was supposed to join him after her own graduation, but Jesse returned to Atlanta in the summer and they moved into a nice apartment her dad had given her as a gift for finishing college. They still wanted to relocate to Los Angeles, but their plans were shattered once again when Beca's boss in _Residual Heat_ offered her a job in New York. Jesse had encouraged her to accept it right away, as that kind of opportunity didn't arise every day. However, there was a problem: he also had a secure job as an arranger waiting for him in L.A., and he couldn't refuse it. He moved there a few days after Beca left for New York. They talked three to five times a week, texted each other practically every day and Skyped on Sundays, but it still wasn't enough.

Beca missed her weirdo. She longed for his smooth voice, his puppy eyes, his goofy ways and his talented hands that played the piano so nicely –hell, she even missed his stupid "movications". She had gotten used to his presence, so much that she found it really hard to adjust to her new life in New York when she first arrived there. She couldn't help it, Jesse had been an important part of her life for five years (since they met at freshman year). He also missed her, she know he did. Jesse didn't lie, at least not to her. That was the thing Beca loved most about their relationship: the honesty that existed between them. Jesse was the person she trusted most in the world, and vice versa. It had been like that since they became a couple. However, Beca was afraid things were not going to be like that anymore.

Although a quite independent person, Beca needed someone to comfort her from time to time when things went bad in her life. Most of the times that someone was Jesse, but when he wasn't available or they were at odds, she turned to Chloe for help. Her best friend always knew what to do in a moment of crisis, and Beca was on the verge of a nervous breakdown. She turned away from the window and took her phone, which was lying on the couch.

Chloe's cheerful voice answered from the other side of the line.

"Hi Beca! What's up?"

"Jesse is missing." Beca always cut to the chase.

"What?"

"Jesse. Is. Missing."

"What do you mean he's missing?"

"I can't find him. He has literally vanished. I haven't heard from him in days. He isn't answering my phone calls, my texts, my Facebook messages... Chlo, I'm scared."

"Maybe he's busy."

"Even when he's busy he _always_ returns the calls right away." She was starting to raise her voice. "I'm positive something bad happened to him."

"Beca, calm down."

"Don't ask me to calm down!"

"Hey, don't yell at me!" Chloe snapped back, which was quite unusual in her. It made Beca feel guilty.

"Sorry." She apologized.

"That's better. Now, when was the last time you talked?"

"Last Thursday, almost a week."

"Did you notice anything weird? Something different?"

"No, it was like any other call."

"Have you called his mom?"

"Yes. She's not answering, either."

"What about his dad? Or are we still not talking to him?"

"I called him too, but he said they haven't talked since Thanksgiving."

"That's weird."

"Now do you understand why am I so worried?" Beca said, with desperation.

"I'm sure all of this has a perfectly logical explanation."

"Well, either he's giving me the silent treatment for a reason unknown to me, or he's dead."

"Beca!" Chloe exclaimed.

"I don't know what else to think. If tomorrow I fail to communicate, I'm calling the police."

"What if you ask Fat Amy to go check on his house?" Fat Amy lived in Oakland with Bumper, but she was vacationing in L.A. Beca thought about it for a second.

"That's not a bad idea."

"Mmm hmm."

"All right, I'll call her tomorrow. I'm gonna sleep now, it's almost midnight."

"Everything's gonna be okay, Beca. You'll see."

"Thanks, Chlo."

"Call me if anything else happens, despite the time."

"I will."

Beca hung up the phone. She changed her clothes, brushed her teeth and went straight to bed. However, she didn't sleep right away.

Instead, she put her headphones on and began playing " _Don't You (Forget about Me)_ " as loud as her ears could take it.


	2. Taxi driver

_**Six months before...**_

 **Wednesday, June 8th, 2016**

 _Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit_.

Beca wasn't a fan of flying. In fact, she suffered every time she had to board a plane. She couldn't sleep during the flight out of fear that they would crash on a desert island or in the middle of the forest, but she couldn't look out the window or make small talk with the person beside her, either, as she had fear of heights and chatting with strangers had never been her strong suit. To make things worse, she was hungover. The way the plane moved was making her head hurt more than before, and that was something. She was feeling nervous and quite dizzy, which she didn't think was a good combination.

 _Relax, it's only a two-hour flight._

When the plane took off, Beca felt a rush of sadness. She wasn't just leaving her home of five years, but also her friends and her boyfriend, the most important people in her life. They were her family, and saying goodbye to them had been the most difficult thing she had ever done. It was true they weren't in the 19th century, where it was almost impossible to keep in touch with a person that lived 2400 miles apart from you. They had phones, and email, and social network, but Beca didn't want her relationship with her loved ones to be damaged by distance.

She leaned back in her seat, closed her eyes and tried to think of something else. She thought about the last movie she had watched with Jesse. It was _"The Sound of Music"_ , a real classic. The kind of movie that _everyone_ has to see at least once, or that's what the weirdo used to say, anyways. Beca remembered watching it before, when she was a kid, but she had forgotten most of the plot. She had really liked the movie's songs and had had _"Do Re Mi"_ stuck in her head for days. However, in that moment she was thinking of another song.

 _When the dog bites, when the bee stings_  
 _When I'm feeling sad_  
 _I simply remember my favorite things_  
 _And then I don't feel so bad_

Beca followed Maria's advice and began remembering her favorite things.

 _Music playing in my ears. A cup of hot coffee. A landscape covered with snow. All kinds of animals, especially dogs. A night out with the girls. Eating pancakes at Waffle House with Jesse._

Surprisingly for her, it worked. After a while, she began feeling less nervous and uneased.

 _Well, that Julie Andrews girl was telling the truth._

She spent the rest of the flight repeating her favorite things in her head as if it were a mantra. In the blink of an eye, the pilot let them know they were about to land at the JFK International Airport. Beca dared to look out the window to take a peek at the city that never sleeps. She had never been in New York before. In fact, she didn't know most of The States. There was her natal Maine, of course, and Atlanta, and she had also visited a high school friend in Boston a couple of years back. She had met Jesse's family in Minnesota and her dad had taken her to Disneyland when she was four, but she didn't remember most of that trip. Beca enjoyed visiting new places, but she didn't have the time and money to travel as much as she would have wanted —money, specially.

After the landing, Beca went through the usual stuff they make you do in an airport. She picked up her luggage and took one of New York's characteristic yellow cabs. The driver was a man with black hair and blue eyes. He had a short beard and was wearing a polo shirt that had the New York Giants logo on it, and he was good looking. When she entered the car, he smiled at her through the rear-view mirror.

"Good afternoon, sir." She greeted him.

"Good afternoon, miss. Where to?"

"Newport, in Jersey City."

"Right away."

He began driving through the streets of New York. Beca lowered the window and peeked her head out to have a clearer look of the city. She had seen photos and videos of it, but seeing it first hand was much more amazing.

"First time in town?" The driver asked her. Beca smiled.

"Is it obvious?"

"A little. Where do you come from?"

"As in place of birth or where I used to live?" The man shrugged. "Portland and Atlanta, respectively."

"Portland, Oregon or Portland, Maine?"

"Maine."

"Well, well, well, what a small world. I'm from Portland, too."

Beca thought it wasn't much of a coincidence since there were lots of people who came from that city, too. However, she didn't want to be rude.

"Oh, that's great!"

"Although I haven't been there in years, ever since I moved here."

"Neither have I."

"You seem young." He said, after a brief moment in silence. "Are you a recent grad?"

"More or less, I graduated last year. I majored in Sociology, in case you were wondering."

The man blushed, ashamed.

"I'm sorry if my questions bother you, I've always been a very social man."

"It's okay, I'm used to social people. How long have you been living in New York, sir?"

"Ten years." He seemed happy to be the one answering the questions now.

"Do you have family?"

"Yes, a wife and two daughters. One of them married a year ago and has a three-month old baby girl."

"So you are a grandfather!"

"I am." He said, proudly.

"Wait, aren't you too young to have grandkids?"

"How old do you think I am?"

Beca examined the man's features with great detail.

"I would say you are forty, tops."

The man laughed.

"You know what? Just because you said that I'm gonna charge you ten dollars less."

"You are older?" Beca said, surprised.

"I just turned fifty."

"No way!" She exclaimed. "Are you serious?"

"Serious as a heart attack."

"Holy crap, you are actually younger than my dad!"

"How old is he?"

"He would have been forty eight next month. Wow!" Beca was astonished.

"How old are you, miss? I don't mean to be rude or anything, it's simple curiosity."

"Twenty four."

"Well, you look younger. Another thing you have in common with a complete stranger."

Beca liked the guy. In fact, he reminded her of Jesse when they first met. They were both chatty, curious and insistent, and although Beca used to find that kind of people quite annoying, Jesse eventually found a way to her heart thanks to his goofiness and natural charm, which eventually captivated her. The taxi driver, on the other hand, proved to be a strange combination between her boyfriend and her late father.

"What about you, miss? Do you have family?"

His voice drove Beca away from her thoughts.

"Not really. Both of my parents are dead, and I have no brothers or sisters."

"I'm sorry."

"I have a boyfriend, though, and a really amazing group of friends. They are like my family."

He smiled at her through the rear-view mirror.

"Family isn't always blood, miss."

"What's your name, sir?" She asked him.

"Frederick Hammond, at your service."

"That's a cool name. I'm gonna call you Mr. Hammond, if you don't mind."

"I don't. Just for the love of God, don't call me Freddie; my aunt used to call me that way."

Beca laughed.

"I'm Beca Mitchell. You can call me Beca, if you want."

"That's a nice name. Not as nice as mine, but it's still a keeper."

They spent the rest of the trip talking about the perks and disadvantages of living in the Big Apple. Mr. Hammond mentioned everything costed a fortune, but there were lots of awesome free things to do. He said winters were cold, but people eventually got used to the weather. Beca asked him all the questions she had about New York, and he was kind enough to answer them. After an hour or so, they arrived at Jersey City.

"Which street?" He asked when they reached Newport.

"River Drive."

Beca's new apartment was located in a small, six floor building. Her landlord had told her she had been very lucky, as most apartments in the zone were really expensive -even for rent. She would have 7 neighbors, which wasn't bad.

"Here we are, Beca."

"Thank you so much, Mr. Hammond. How much do I owe you?"

"The normal fare would be eighty bucks." Beca took out some cash from her wallet, but the man interrupted her. "However, I'll only charge you fifty."

"What? No, no, no." She said, and tried to give him a one hundred-dollar bill. He refused. "Come on, I can't accept it!"

"Take it as a "welcome to the city" gift, okay?"

Beca sighed and handed him fifty dollars.

"Okay. But only if you do me a favor." He raised an eyebrow in suspicion.

"Oh?"

"Do you think you could take me to work every day?"

He looked at her with his eyes wide open.

"Like a chauffeur?"

"Something like that. The fact is that I really liked you and I don't know how to move around in New York. It would only be until I get a car of my own, of course."

"I would be happy to do it. However, I'm not sure it will be good for your economy."

"Are fares very high?"

"Time is money, my girl. Traffic in New York can be a nightmare, you will save much more time and money if you ride the subway." Beca didn't seem very convinced. "Look, where's your workplace?"

"Do you know _Residual Heat_? It's in Madison Avenue, between the 54th and the 55th."

"The record label?" She nodded. "Mmm, the closest station is Fifth Avenue/53rd Street. You'll only have to walk a block."

"Really?" She asked, with surprise.

"Yeah, it's the E Eighth Avenue Local. If you take Spring Street, it's a fifteen minute trip from there. I could drive you to the station in the mornings and take you back home in the afternoons."

Beca's face lightened up with excitement.

"It would be so great if you could do that for me, Mr. Hammond."

"It will be my honor, Beca."

"Could you give me your number, please?"

"Sure." She saved it on her phone. They got out the car and he helped her with her luggage. Then, they shook hands.

"It was a pleasure meeting you, sir."

"You too, Beca." He said, with a smile. "When do you start at _RH_?"

"On Friday."

"Well, you give me a call. Take care now, okay?"

"I will."

He walked towards the car, but turned to see her before she went into the building.

"Welcome to the city, kid."


	3. The first call

**Hi! Here's chapter 3. Thank you for your lovely reviews, I'm glad to see you are liking my story :) If there's anything you'd like me to write, I'll be very happy to do it. As always R &R. Enjoy.**

* * *

After dropping Beca at the airport, Jesse went straight home. He didn't feel like interacting with other people or going someplace else. However, when he returned to the apartment, he felt worse than ever. He and Beca had lived there for a year, and it felt weird not seeing her stuff in the drawers and shelves. The apartment felt empty without her, and so did Jesse. He flopped on the couch, immersed in his thoughts.

Beca wasn't only his girlfriend, she was also his best friend. There was nothing in the world Jesse wouldn't do for her, and when she wasn't around, everything seemed meaningless and unimportant. Although he had put on a happy face regarding her move to New York, he actually felt extremely sad on the inside. He hadn't said anything because reasons, but the thought of living more than 2400 miles away from Beca made him anxious. However, he was aware there was a light at the end of the tunnel. If he got admitted into New York University, he would reunite with Beca for Christmas. The thought of it made Jesse feel less bad. His only wish was to spend the rest of his life with her, he didn't care about anything else.

He had been drowning in his pool of misery for a few hours when his phone started ringing.

"Hello?" He said, with indifference.

"Geez, I thought you would be happier to hear my voice!"

Immediately, his face lightened up.

"Beca! How are you? How was your flight?" He asked, utterly happy.

"I was dizzy for most of it. However, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be."

"I'm glad to hear that. How's New York?"

"Big, noisy, magical. The buildings practically touch the sky, no kidding."

"I guess that's why they call them "skyscrapers"." He teased her.

"Haha, very funny. Seriously though, there's like a shit ton of people in here."

"I can imagine."

"Oh, and guess what?"

"What?"

"I've already made a new friend."

"Really?"

"Yeap. His name is Frederick Hammond, he's a taxi driver."

"" _You talkin' to me?"_ " Jesse couldn't resist quoting Robert De Niro's famous line. Beca laughed.

"You really couldn't help it, could you?"

"You know me."

So, this Benedict Cumberbatch guy —what is he like?"

"Well, he actually reminds me of you."

"Is he funny, smart, wickedly talented and really handsome?"

"He's quite funny, and seems to be smart as well. I don't know about his talents, though, but I guess he must have one. And I'm pretty sure he was very easy in the eyes when he was younger. Overall, he's very nice. You would like him."

"I'm glad you already have a friend, Becs."

"I am, too."

"Have you unpacked already?"

"No, I just got home. First thing I did was call you, as I promised."

Jesse felt a rush of gratitude towards her.

"Thank you for that."

"Hey, have you talked to Mrs. Logan?" Rose Logan was the woman who was moving into their apartment after Jesse left for L.A.

"Not yet, but I'll call her later."

"Okay."

"What are you gonna do now?"

"Well, I'll start unpacking. I also wanna explore the surroundings. Get to know the neighborhood, you know."

"Right."

They both went quiet, as if the ability to speak had abandoned their bodies. Jesse didn't know how to end the conversation, and apparently Beca was dealing with the same issue.

"Listen, Jesse." She took the words out of his mouth just when he was about to say something. "I know how you are feeling right now, because I feel the same way. But I don't want you to be sad, okay? We are gonna be fine, trust me."

"I trust you, Becs." He said, with a shaky voice. "I'll call you tomorrow."

"Take care. Don't get in trouble, okay?"

"I promise. Thanks for calling."

"I love you, weirdo. Don't forget that."

"I love you, too. Goodbye."

"Goodbye."


	4. Making new friends

**Friday, June 10th, 2016**

It took Beca twenty seconds to realize _Residual Heat_ 's headquarters in Manhattan were nothing like their offices in Atlanta. The building was big and noisy, and there were lots of people carrying large boxes and piles of documents from one side to the other. Everybody seemed to be in a hurry, and Beca could perfectly imagine why: an artist time was like a toddler in a tiara **—** precious and short. It was her boss' motto, and Beca couldn't agree more with it. When you had someone famous and quite important for the music industry (like Beyoncé, for example) in your recording booth, there was no time to lose. Every second counted, and she had learned it the hard way back in Atlanta.

Beca was sitting in the lobby observing the place's dynamic when she heard a familiar voice.

"Beca, it's so good to see you." She stood up and saw her boss, Frank, coming out of an elevator. "Welcome. How are you?"

"I'm great, thank you for asking. Ready to work."

"I'm glad to hear it. Follow me, I'm gonna show you the place."

Frank gave her a tour around the building. He took her to the offices, the cafeteria, and the recording booths, and even introduced her to some of his colleagues. Beca was thrilled with everything Frank showed her. That place was like Disneyland to her.

"Our recording booths are equipped with only the highest technology available." He said, while showing her one of the mixing consoles. "You won't see this baby anywhere but here. This shit costs a fortune, but it's money well spent."

Beca was dying to get her hands in the mixers, but she knew she'd have to wait a little bit for that.

After finishing the tour, they went to his office.

"Take a seat, please." He said. She sat in one of the chairs that were across Frank's desk. "Now, let's talk business."

"I'm all ears."

"As you already now, people in A&R are in charge of finding new talents. We do everything from assisting with song selection to choosing the people that will produce the album and where it will be recorded."

"Mmm Hmm."

"Your assignment is quite simple: you'll have three other people at your command, whose job will consist in searching for talent in music blogs, fan pages and social media. You will evaluate their findings and whenever you consider something to have potential, you bring it to me right away. You know my time is precious and short, so I'm not interested in hearing the same boring shit a thousand times. That's why I'm gonna trust your criteria, okay?"

"So basically I'll be some sort of… filter?"

"So to speak. You and other four guys **—** Reggie, Stan, Joe and Mark **—** will act as filters for me."

"Sounds interesting."

"You will also spend a good amount of time visiting clubs and bars to scout the bands that perform there. Occasionally I will send you to specific places, but most of the times you will pick them."

"Got it."

"Any questions?"

Beca thought about it for a second.

"I think I'm good."

"That's the spirit!" He exclaimed, visibly satisfied. "Now let's go, I'm gonna introduce you to your co-workers."

They took the elevator and went down one floor. They entered an office that had " **Scouting** " written on the door. The room was big and had lots of cubicles, although not all of them were occupied. Beca counted twenty people working in there.

"All right, listen up!" They stopped doing their stuff and turned to see Frank and Beca. She quickly noticed most of them were young, probably in their mid-to-late twenties. "Guys, I wanna introduce you to Beca Mitchell." She waved at them, and they all waved back. "She worked with me back in Atlanta, and from now on she'll be working with you. Anything you want to show me will have to go through her first, without exception. She'll be like our liaison, understood?"

They nodded.

"Okay, you can go back to work now." He then turned to face Beca. "Now I'll show you your office."

Beca's office was located a few feet away from the cubicles. It had a swiveling chair, a desk with a phone and a computer, two additional chairs for visitors and a couple of drawers, besides a medium-sized window that allowed light to enter the place. It was a small room, but it seemed cozy. Beca instantly loved it.

"Now, I don't want you to worry about anything for today. I want you to explore the building, meet your co-workers, get yourself comfortable. Believe me, you will long for a moment of peace and quiet once the real work begins."

"Your wish is my command."

"Well, that's all there's to it." He handed her the keys of the office. "Only thing left for me to say is: welcome to _Residual Heat_." They shook hands with enthusiasm. "If you need anything, you know where to find me."

"Thanks, Frank."

* * *

After Frank left her office, Beca took a picture of the room with her phone and sent it to Jesse.

 _Check out this place. It's my new office._

As always, it took her boyfriend less than a minute to answer her message.

 _Cool. How are you going to decorate it?_

She looked around. She didn't know how to infuse her personal touch in the room.

 _IDK. I'm taking suggestions._

Jesse was very creative and an excellent decorator.

 _Well, for starters, a "Star Wars" reference would be nice. Like a scale lego Millennium Falcon or something like that._

Beca laughed, but just when she was about to reply his text, she heard a knock. She looked up from her phone and saw a woman standing in the door.

"Hi!" She greeted her with enthusiasm.

"Hi!" Beca greeted her back.

"Can I come in?" The girl asked with politeness.

"Of course! Take a seat, please."

The girl sat in one of the chairs that were across Beca's desk. She had light brown hair, olive skin and green eyes. She was a very pretty woman, besides a tall one. Beca guessed she was about six feet tall.

"I'm Allison Jones, but you can call me Allie."

"I'm Beca, nice to meet you."

"I hope you don't have a problem with me coming to introduce myself. I just wanted you to feel welcome."

"No, not at all! I'm honored, actually. And thank you for the visit." Beca wasn't very good at socializing, but the girl seemed friendly and she didn't want to start off with the wrong foot. "What is it that you do here, Allie?"

"I just get coffee and burritos and stuff."

 _There's something oddly familiar about this._

"Are you an intern?" Beca asked, surprised.

"Well, not exactly. I'm a _scout_ , I search for talent in music blogs, YouTube, and social media. I actually work for you, now that you mention it."

"Oh, right. Frank mentioned something before. There's you and two other guys, right?"

"Yeah, Blaine and Bill, but they aren't here right now. They went for lunch or something."

"I see."

"I can ask them to come back, if you want."

"No, it's okay. There'll be time for that." Beca reassured her, with a smile.

"You seem nice. I hope we become good friends." The girl seemed honest and there was something about her that made Beca feel comfortable. Perhaps it was her friendly nature, which reminded her of Emily and Chloe.

"I hope it, too."

"Well, I better go. If there's anything you need, don't doubt asking for it."

She stood up and Beca did as well.

"Thank you, Allie. I'll see you around."

Once the girl left, Beca took her phone from the desk.

 _Sorry, a girl came to meet me. And for the record, the scale Lego Millennium Falcon is out of the question._

Jesse answered back almost immediately.

 _:(_

* * *

A few minutes after Allie's visit, Beca went to a coffee station she had seen by the scouting office's entrance. Beca loved coffee, and _Residual Heat_ had the best one she had ever tasted.

She breathed in the delicious smell that was emerging from her cup. She stirred her coffee with a small spoon to cool it down a little, but just when she was about to drink it, she caught a man staring at her out of the corner of her eye.

"Can I help you with something?" She asked, without looking at him. Beca's question obviously caught him by surprise. He shifted positions, uncomfortable.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." He said, embarrassed. "It's just your face seems familiar to me but I don't know from where. Do I know you?"

Beca turned to see the stranger and examined him with great detail. He had short, black hair and green eyes. He was wearing a white shirt, black dress pants and shoes the same color. He was tall and had an athletic physique. He seemed a little older than her and was very attractive, which made Beca guess he had lots of admirers in the building.

"I don't think so, no."

"That's odd. I never forget a face, and yours is quite distinctive."

"I never forget a face, either, that's why I don't think we have met before."

"Really?"

His insistence irritated Beca, but she didn't want to be rude.

"Well, unless you grew up in Maine or went to Barden University, I can't help **—** "

In that moment, his face lightened up.

"That's it!" He exclaimed, visibly excited. "You were a Bella, weren't you?"

"You know us?" She asked, shocked.

"Of course I do, my mom was a Bella!"

Beca looked at him with her eyes wide open.

"You are a legacy?"

"A what?"

He didn't seem to know what the word meant.

"Never mind. You were saying?"

"Oh, right. Like I was telling you, my mom was one of you. When you won the ICCAs for the first time, she made me take her to Lincoln Center to see you guys perform."

"Really?"

"Hmm hmm. I remember because you sang that song from " _The Breakfast Club_ " **—** which was amazing, by the way **—** , and when you left the stage, you went straight to that Treble guy and kissed him."

Beca couldn't help but smile at the mention of such an important event in her life.

"Those were good times."

"My mom died a few weeks after that so I lost track of you, girls. Last thing I knew was that you won the Worlds last year."

"Yeah, in Copenhagen."

"I wish she could have seen that, she loved being a Bella with all her heart. She always said they were an institution, a sisterhood."

 _Just like Emily's mom_.

"I'm sorry about your mom. What was her name?"

"Agnes Watson."

 _Chloe and Aubrey surely know her_.

"And what's your name?"

"William, but everybody calls me Bill. And if my memory doesn't fail me, you must be Beca."

"I am." They shook hands. "Wait, are you _that_ Bill?"

"I'm not sure I know what you mean with that."

"You work here as a _scout_ , don't you?"

"Yes! Why do you ask?" He said, with curiosity.

"Well, apparently we will be working together. Or that's what that girl Allie said, anyway."

"Oh, so you are the girl from Atlanta!" Beca nodded. "Well, it will be my honor to work with one of my mom's sisters."

"That sounds weird, don't you think?"

"A little." He admitted, with embarrassment.


	5. Marriage

Jesse was busy packing the last of his stuff when he heard someone knocking on the door. He opened it and was surprised to see Chloe standing on the other side.

"Chloe! What a surprise to see you here."

"Hi, Jesse. Are you busy?"

"A little, I was finishing packing my stuff."

"Oh, shoot! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"No, it's okay! Come in, please."

He invited her in and she sat in the couch. He went to the kitchen for a glass of water for Chloe. He sat next to her and gave it to her.

"Thank you." She said, and took a sip. Jesse liked all of Beca's friends but was especially fond of the redhead. The truth was that Chloe's sweet nature and friendly attitude made her very easy to like.

"So... what brings you here?"

"I just wanted to check on you. Ready for the big move?"

"I am." He said, with a smile.

"Have you talked to Beca?"

"Yeah, today was her first day at work." He quickly looked at his watch, which read 4:30 p.m. "I guess she'll be out soon."

She nodded and they both went quiet.

"It feels weird not having her around, right?" She said, after a few seconds in silence.

"Yeah," he admitted, with a sad tone, "but it makes me happy that she gets to live her dream."

"You know? Beca used to say the exact same thing when you left for L.A. last year."

"The truth is I can't get used to not seeing her every day. I miss her so much, and it's only been two days." He ran his hand through his dark hair. Chloe gave him an inquisitive look.

"Jesse, can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"Have you ever thought about marrying Beca?"

The question caught him by surprise.

"M-m-marriage?" He stammered.

"Yes!" She said.

"I... I don't know."

She rose an eyebrow with suspicion.

"You don't know?"

"I have never thought about it."

Chloe bursted into laughter. Jesse immediately blushed.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just I can't believe you have never even considered it."

"Even if I had, Beca's not the marrying type."

"Says who? I mean, have you even talked about it?"

"No, but I know her. I'm not sure the idea is appealing to her, given her history."

"Right. The divorce issue."

"Yeah. I think she feels comfortable with the way things are now."

"Do you feel the same way?"

"I think our relationship is perfect in its own way."

"So no wedding, then." Chloe said, although she seemed a little disappointed.

"Well, I wouldn't assume that, either. I guess time will tell."

"I guess." Chloe said, and took another sip from her glass.

"Still," Jesse asked, after a brief moment in silence, "do you imagine us married?"

"It's not difficult, I don't think your dynamic would change a lot."

Chloe was right, his relationship with Beca wouldn't change a lot if they married. However, that didn't stop him from imagining them living in a nice house on the Upper East Side, with two dogs and a room full of DVDs. Jesse's mind began drifting away.

"We'll see."

* * *

"So? How did it go?" Mr. Hammond was eager to know everything about Beca's first day at work. He began asking questions as soon as she got in the taxi.

"Well, I didn't get to do a lot of stuff. I explored the building, met a few people, I got familiarized with the way things are run. To be honest, I'm dying for the real work to start."

"And when will that happen?"

"On Monday."

He kept driving through the streets of New York. As always, traffic in the city was a nightmare.

"It looks like we are gonna be stuck in here for a while."

"Yeah. Don't worry, it won't be long."

"Do you wanna talk about something? To kill time."

"Okay." He said. "Would you mind if I ask you a personal question?"

"It depends on how personal it is."

"The other day you mentioned you have a boyfriend."

"Hmm hmm."

"What's his name? How did you meet?"

"Those were two questions, not one." Beca pointed out.

"Think of it as a _big_ one."

"Okay." She sat up straight. "His name's Jesse. We met in college, when we both were interns at the school's radio station. "

"Was it love at first sight?" Beca gave him a hard look through the rear-view mirror. "What? I'm a romantic."

"It wasn't, at least not in my case. As a matter of fact, I didn't really like Jesse when I first met him. I found him... quite annoying."

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. Although now that I think about it, I found _everyone_ annoying. It wasn't something personal."

"I believe you, I didn't like my wife when I met her, either. When did you start liking him?"

"Well, at some point I realized he wasn't as annoying as I thought, so we became good friends. We had common interests, like music. We spent a lot of time together in the radio station, and we hanged out after shifts and classes. He was in an a Cappella group as well, so—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a second!" He interrupted her. "You were an a Cappella singer?"

"Oh, did I forget to mention I'm a three-time National Champion _and_ current World Champion, besides a member of the Ultimate National Team?"

"You are full of surprises, Beca. I did some singing back in my golden years, but I wasn't very good at it. Anyway, you were saying?"

"Right. Like I was telling you, before we became a couple, Jesse and I were friends. We knew each other pretty well, which made the whole transition from bff's to romantic partners a lot easier."

"When did you find out you had feelings for him?"

Beca was surprised to discover she didn't know the answer to that question.

"I don't know, I have never thought about it before."

 _Wait, how can I not know at which point I fell in love with Jesse?_

"That's not bad. After all, we never really know the reasons behind the important stuff."

"Actually, I think it was the result of a chain of events. There was a… trigger, in a way of speaking."

"And what was that trigger?"

Beca began remembering her freshman year at Barden. Her cranky roommate, the shower incident with Chloe, auditions, her first hood night party, all of those hours stacking CDs with Jesse, regional competitions…

"There was this fight on freshman year after the regional competition. I got involved and the police arrested me. Jesse called my dad to bail me up, and I got really mad when I found out. I yelled at him and said things I'm not proud of. We didn't speak to each other in a month or so."

"That must have been difficult."

"It was. Those weeks in which we didn't talk were very hard for me. As I said before, we were good friends. We used to spend a lot of time together. We hanged out at the radio station and after classes. There was a time in which the only people I interacted with were him and the girls."

"Your group of friends you mentioned the other day?"

"Yeah. We were all members of the Barden Bellas. To make things worse, I had a fight with them as well. I got out from the group and suddenly I was back to square one, just a lonely girl who had nobody in the world. During spring break, I had a lot of time to think about my actions. I didn't care if I made things right with the girls, but I didn't want my friendship with Jesse to be over for good. I missed him, deeply, and I wanted things to get back to normal. I tried to apologize, but he didn't accept it."

"Why?" He asked, shocked.

"Because I didn't do it for the right reasons. Jesse wasn't mad at me because I yelled at him, he was mad because I pushed away anyone who could possibly care about me, including him. He wanted to be my friend and for me to feel comfortable around him, but I ruined everything." Beca couldn't help but feel sad when she remembered that awkward conversation.

 _"I'm done with... whatever this is."_ Jesse's cold words had hurt her more than she wanted to admit.

"Wow."

"I'm not gonna deny it, his rejection hit me hard. However, I'm glad he didn't accept my apology. He made me realize how selfish and rude I had been not only to him, but to the girls as well. Eventually I found a better way to apologize." She said, with a smile on her face.

"So you discovered you had feelings for him when you thought your relationship was over?"

"Sort of. Over spring break I realized Jesse was more than a friend to me, but it wasn't until that specific conversation that I finally admitted to myself that I had fallen in love with him."

"Just like that?"

"Just like that." Her blue eyes were sparkling. "There's nothing as unpredictable as the human heart."

"And was he in love with you?"

"Yes, he told me some time after."

"When did you become a couple?"

"After I serenated him with a song from his favorite movie." Beca told Mr. Hammond about the ICCAs Finals and how she had sang " _Don't You (Forget About Me)_ " to Jesse during the Bellas' performance. Naturally, she also told him about the kiss. He had a big smile on her face by the time Beca was done with her story.

"How long have you been together?"

"Four years."

He frowned, pensive.

"Have you never thought about marriage?"

Beca laughed, although it sounded more like a giggle than a normal laugh.

"Umm... I don't know."

He rose an eyebrow with suspicion.

"Seriously? You _don't_ know? You guys have been in a stable relationship for four years and you have _never_ thought about getting married?"

"Times have changed, people have other stuff in mind. Besides, we are still young; there's no need to rush things up!"

He seemed disappointed, but didn't say anything else. Beca immediately noticed it.

"However," she added, "that doesn't mean we will never have the conversation, right? I have no problem with marriage, even though my parents divorced. I'm not against it, so I'm open to the possibility."

"Okay, then." He simply said. " _If_ you get married, will you invite me to the wedding?"

"Definitely."


	6. A definition of love

**Saturday, June 18th, 2016**

After her first week at her new job was over, Beca found herself not as tired as she thought she would be. It's true she hadn't had the chance to explore New York as much she wanted to, but she kept telling to herself there would be plenty of time for that in the upcoming weeks.

That Saturday morning, she woke up at 8:00 a.m. She usually wouldn't wake up that early on a weekend, but it was Chloe's birthday. She took her phone from her nightstand and called her friend.

"Hello?"

"Happy birthday, Chloe!" She yelled with enthusiasm.

"Beca? Is that you?" Her friend's voice sounded sleepy and disoriented.

"Well, who else calls you this early on your birthday?"

"You have definitely outdone yourself this time. It's freaking six in the morning!"

"What?" Beca said, shocked. "No, no, no, it's eight o'clock!"

"In New York, you idiot. You are two hours ahead."

"Oh." Beca had completely forgot it. She felt extremely guilty for waking up her friend that early. "I'm so sorry, Chlo. I didn't mean to—"

"Don't worry. At least it was you and not my aunt Maggie."

"What are you going to do today?"

"Well, my dad is coming to visit." Chloe's dad, Jonathan, was a wealthy real estate agent who lived in Tampa and visited his daughter three times a year in Atlanta. He had been a single parent, and he and Chloe had a very close relationship. "He's taking me to dinner and we'll go to the movies with Aubrey."

"That's nice. You tell them hi for me."

"Actually, Aubrey's here right now. Do you wanna talk to her?"

"Sure!"

"Wait a second."

After a brief moment, Beca heard Aubrey's voice from the other side of the line.

"Hi, Beca!"

"Hi, Aubrey, how're you doing?"

"Very well, thank you. How's New York?"

"Noisy and crowded, but I'm having a great time."

"How's Jesse? I haven't talked to him since you left."

"We talked yesterday. He is thrilled, working with an actual orchestra is like a dream come true."

"When will you know if he got into NYU?" Chloe asked.

"Not until a couple of months."

"Okay."

"Hey, I wanted to ask you guys something. Do you happen to know a woman called Agnes Watson?"

"I'm not sure." Aubrey said. "Why do you ask?"

"There's this guy at work who told me his mom was a Bella, and gave me that name. I was hoping you knew something about her."

Her friends talked to each other, although Beca couldn't understand a word of what they were saying.

"Well, one of the founding Bellas was called Agnes. Although her last name was Moore, not Watson."

"Maybe it was her maiden name." Chloe pointed out.

"What do you know about her?"

"As you know, the Bellas were founded in 1974. She joined them on their freshman year. They didn't do much, but they were the first generation. Class of '78. There's a picture of them in the Bellas' house."

"She died in a car accident like four years ago. I never met her, sadly. Word is she was a lovely woman."

There was nobody out there who knew more about the Bellas than Aubrey and Chloe.

"I see. Thank you, girls. You should probably go back to bed now, I'm sorry I woke you up this early."

"We miss you, when will you come to Atlanta?"

"I don't know, Aubrey. Soon, I hope."

"Thank you again for calling."

"You're welcome, Chlo. I love you, girls."

"Bye!"

* * *

 **Monday, June 20th, 2016**

Beca was busy listening to a band's demo when Allie and Bill knocked on her office's door.

"Hey, guys."

"Hi, Beca." Allie said. "Are you busy?"

"A little. What's up?"

"We wanted to invite you to have a drink with us tonight." Bill said.

"What's the occasion?"

"There's this bar that opened last week and we wanna try it. Besides, it's a good excuse for you to get to know the city."

Beca smiled.

"I'd be happy to join you."

"Great." Allie said. "We'll see you at ten past seven in the lobby."

At 7:10 p.m., Beca went down on the elevator and met her new friends. They took her to a bar called " _La Vie Bohème_ ", which was located a few blocks away from _Residual Heat_. The whole place was covered with posters from Broadway musicals and photos of famous stage actors.

"Do you like musical theatre, Beca?" Allie asked her, as they sat in a table.

"I do. My best friend is a lot into Broadway, so I'm pretty familiarized with the whole thing."

"Have you ever been in an actual play?"

"No, performing arts are not my thing. I can sing, but that's all."

"I love theatre." Bill said, while peeling a peanut. "I actually write plays in my spare time, although it's very difficult to get someone to pay attention to your work in a city like this."

"You are an awesome writer, I've told you a million times before. Someday you will become a hotshot dramatist and your plays will be known all around the world." Allie said, and gently caressed his arm. Beca looked at them with curiosity.

"How long have you been together?"

They both burst into laughter. Beca immediately blushed.

"What makes you thing we are a couple?" Bill asked, with tears in his eyes.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you guys uncomfortable. You clearly get along very well and you seem to have a nice relationship, so I thought—"

"Okay, here's the thing." Allie interrupted her. "Bill used to be married to my older sister, but the idiot cheated on him with some jerk called Larry. Or was it Barney?"

"Benny, you silly."

"Right. Anyway, after the divorce, my sister moved in with the guy and Bill and I became best friends."

"Oh." Beca said, shocked. "I... I don't know what to say."

"Don't worry, it's all water under the bridge now." Bill passed his arms around Allie's shoulders. "I lost a wife but gained a sister. Right, Allie?"

"True. Very true."

"What about you, Beca? Are you single? I'm not hitting on you or anything, we just want to get to know you better."

Beca laughed.

"I'm not single. I have a boyfriend, Jesse."

"Did he come to New York with you?"

"No, he's in L.A. Although I hope he'll join me in January."

"Why is he there?" Allie asked, visibly curious.

Beca spent the next hour telling them about Jesse's obsession with movies and his dream of becoming a film score composer. She also told them about their relationship and the little things that made it special, like his stupid movications and their dinners at Waffle House. She mentioned their first separation, how they reconnected after the Bellas' win at the Worlds, moving in together, her dad's death and his parents' divorce, and their current long distance relationship.

"Seems like you have quite a story together." Bill said, after Beca was done.

"We do."

"I can see he's very special to you." Added Allie, with a smile.

"Jesse knows me better than anyone else. We tell each other everything, I trust him with my life. He is my confident and my ally. I even tell him the stuff I would rather keep to myself."

"Some people would say you are best friends rather than lovers." Bill pointed out.

"Maybe, but it all depends on how you define love."

"Don't we all define it the same way?" Allie asked, confused.

"For me, love is about embracing the other's strengths and weaknesses. I mean, we all have light and dark inside us. When you love someone, when you really do, it's because you are willing to take the other's flaws and make them your own. Not only will you accept the pretty stuff, but the bad stuff as well. Jesse embraces everything about me, from my fear of commitment to my love of coffee. He may not like some things about me, but he has never tried to make them disappear. Someone who loves you will never try to change who you are. "

She made a pause to breathe in some air, and found her new friends staring at her with their chins resting on their hands.

"That is some deep shit right there, Beca." Allie said, enthralled.

"Do you think you can say it again, but slower?" Bill said, as he took a little notebook out of his briefcase.

Beca laughed.

"Come on, guys, I just expressed my opinion out loud. Which is something I don't do often, to be honest."

"Why?" Allie inquired.

"I'm a very introverted person."

"Really? You don't seem like it." Bill said, surprised.

"I had a very lonely childhood." Beca didn't like talking about her youth, but she felt really comfortable around Allie and Bill. "My mom wasn't what you would call mother-material, and my dad left the house when I was ten. I have no brothers or sisters, so things got tough for me when I was growing up. It's true I'm not as introverted as I used to be, but I still am; it's part of who I am."

"And this Jesse guy gets that, too?"

"Yeah, he does, although we are complete opposites in that department. He is noisy and talkative, while I'm more reserved and private. I don't care, though, because we complement each other."

"Aww, that's so sweet!" Allie exclaimed.

"I really hope we get to meet him, soon."

"I hope that, too."

* * *

 **A/N: I know most of you are wondering what the hell happened with Jesse, but I wanted to show Beca getting used to her new life in a strange city, with new people. Don't worry, you'll find out soon :) I'm gonna go a bit faster now, with some time jumps in the story. Thanks for reading and hope you are enjoying it!**


	7. The letter

**Friday, September 9th, 2016**

Jesse Swanson was sick. He had all the flu symptoms: sore throat, headache, fever, muscle aches and soreness, congestion, and cough. That idiot of Bobby Katz had infected him, and Jesse felt like a thousand trucks had run him over. He had to stay home to avoid spreading the virus among his co-workers, and he was hating it. He was saving every possible penny to move to New York with Beca, and he couldn't afford to lose a day's salary. The only time he stood up from bed was to prepare himself a honey and lemon tea. After he was done, he went back to his room.

Jesse had been living in Los Angeles for three months, and it had been a rewarding experience. L.A. was a wonderful city, full of light and magic. Hollywood was the capital of the film industry, and for someone who felt as passionate towards movies as him, Los Angeles was the most perfect place in the world. He had learned so much about musical arrangement and composition in the time he had been working for a local orchestra. He had lots of new ideas from all the hours he had spent listening to their rehearsals, and one of the musicians had even taught him how to play the violin. Jesse was an expert pianist, but was thrilled to learn about a new instrument.

However, Jesse couldn't feel completely happy because Beca wasn't there with him. He missed her terribly, and longed for her every minute of every day. He dreamed with her practically every night, and spent most of his spare time listening to the mashups she had given him for their past anniversaries and Christmas. He was dying to kiss her soft lips and to caress her brown hair. He wanted to stare at her beautiful blue eyes from dawn to dusk, and watch movies with her until she felt asleep on his lap (which she always did).

Long distance relationships were difficult by definition, and it had taken everything Jesse was to cope with it. The illusion of getting accepted into New York University and reuniting with Beca in winter helped him carry on, and her constant words of encouragement gave him strength to wake up in the mornings. Beca was always talking about the future and how their life together would be once he moved to New York with her.

He hadn't talked to Beca in a few days, which really sucked. She had discovered a band called _Torch Army_ in a local bar, and Beca believed they had potential. The band consisted of two boys, Jeremy and James, and they were auditioning for her boss that same afternoon. If it went out well, she might even get a raise. Jesse had done his part already, telling her everything would be okay and that Frank would be pleased with the results —it was his job as her boyfriend to comfort her, after all—.

He was going to play some solitary on his laptop, but decided to check his e-mail first. When he logged in, he saw he had a message from Steinhardt, one of the schools and colleges that made up New York University.

 _OH. MY. GOD._

His heart started beating really fast, and he felt like he was about to pass out. Jesse didn't expect the letter to arrive that early, they usually sent them in November or early December. He felt the urgent need to call Beca, but he held it back. He moved the pointer and took a deep breath before clicking on the e-mail. A PDF document was automatically downloaded. He read it, and a few drops of sweat began running down his face.

 _September 9, 2016_

 _Jesse Swanson_

 _3415 South Sepulveda Blvd._

 _Los Angeles, California, 90034_

 _Dear Mr. Swanson,_

 _It is with the deepest pleasure that I inform you that you have been accepted to the Film Scoring Master's Program in the Department of Music and Performing Arts Professions for the Spring Semester, 2017._

 _We are also very pleased to award you the Steinhardt Graduate Scholarship that will pay your full tuition and provide a minimum level of support of $19,000 per nine-month academic year. This scholarship is offered to students who are academically talented and show the greatest potential._

 _Dean Patricia Lee Rubin and John Thyne, Chair of the Department, join me in offering you our warmest congratulations for archieving the standards which make this decision possible. Welcome to the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development and welcome to New York University!_

"HOLY SHIT! OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD, OH MY GOD!" He almost threw his laptop to the floor. He put it on his nightstand and began jumping and screaming like a maniac. Suddenly, his throat wasn't sore anymore. Jesse had to pinch himself in the arm to make sure he wasn't dreaming. He felt like his heart was about to explode.

Once he managed to calm himself down a little (after several minutes), he quickly grabbed his phone and called Beca in New York.

* * *

Beca wasn't the type of person who got angry too easily, but that day, she was furious. She had been planning the _Torch Army_ 's audition for nearly a month, since she first saw them perform, and a famous British singer called Olly Murs was touring the States and had agreed to perform with the band as one of the lead singers was his cousin. However, his schedule was very tight because reasons, and Beca had organized the whole thing with excruciating detail. However, thanks to Blaine Adams' incompetence, everything was about to crumble.

Blaine Adams was the stupidest person Beca had ever known. He was lazy and irresponsible, and Beca had no idea what a guy like him was doing working in a place like _Residual Heat_. She had commissioned him with the task of calling Olly Murs' agent to let him know the audition was set for that afternoon at 5:30 p.m., but the idiot did it all wrong. Blaine told the agent the audition was set to start at 7:30 p.m., the same time Murs was leaving for Seattle. Naturally, he cancelled his participation. When Beca found out, she locked herself in her office with Blaine and began screaming at him with rage, with Allie, Bill and the whole Scouting Office looking at her with fear.

"Do you have any idea what you've done?! You have come _this_ close of ruining a month's work. What the hell am I supposed to tell Frank when he gets here and sees there's not going to be any audition, huh?" She was walking from one side of her office to another, furiously moving her hands.

"Beca, I'm so sorry." He began to say. He was visibly ashamed. "I seriously thought I heard you say 7:30, not 5:30. I don't know what happened, I'm usually very good at my job—"

"You know what?" Beca was too angry for words. "I don't wanna listen to your vain attempt of apologizing anymore. Just find a way to fix this before Frank gets here, otherwise I'm gonna tell him that you screwed this up and he'll be more upset than me, okay?"

"But how am I gonna—"

"Dude, I don't care." She snapped him. "It's your problem, you fix it."

He left the office with a guilty look on his face. Beca spotted Allie and Bill and beckoned at them.

"Bill, I need you to call Murs' agent and explain him everything, all right? Do whatever it takes, but we _need_ him here at 5:30 p.m.?" He nodded. "Allie, you keep an eye on Blaine. Make sure he doesn't screw it again, okay?" She nodded as well. "I'm not gonna let him ruin our first project."

They both left and went directly to their cubicles. Beca leaned back on her chair and began massaging her temples. In that moment, her phone started ringing. She took it from her desk and saw it was Jesse calling her. She suddenly remember she hadn't called him in days.

"Hi, Jesse." She greeted him, with not a lot of enthusiasm.

"Hi, Becs. How are you?"

"Honestly? Not quite well."

"Why? What's the matter?" He asked, mortified.

"Don't worry, it's not something serious." She said, not wanting Jesse to worry. "I'm just having a really bad day, that's all.

"I can call you later if you want."

"No! Hearing your voice relaxes me." She said, trying to put on a happy tone for Jesse. "I'm sorry I haven't called you, it's just I've been very busy lately."

"That's okay, I understand." There was something weird with his voice, but Beca was too tired and upset to realize what it was. "Why are you so mad?"

"I don't wanna burden you with my problems, let's talk about something else, okay?"

"Okay."

"How have you been?"

"Well, I actually have some news for you."

What kind of news?"

"Let's say I hadn't felt this happy in a long time."

"Why?" Beca was starting to feel really curious.

"Guess who got an e-mail from NYU this morning."

"What? Isn't it too soon?"

"It is, but none of that matters anymore."

"Well, what did it say?" Beca asked him, with anxiety.

"Drum roll, please."

"Jesse!" She urged him, irritated.

"Okay, okay, I'll cut to the chase." He took a deep breath, and Beca felt her heart stop beating for a second. "I'm in!" He screamed, filled with enthusiasm. Beca covered her mouth with her hand, and gasped.

"Oh my God! Are you serious?"

"Yes, and they also gave me the scholarship!"

Her initial surprise was quickly replaced by an overwhelming joy.

"I can't believe it!"

"Well, you better get used to the idea. Beca, I'm going to New York!"

Jesse sounded so happy and excited that it made Beca's heart melt.

"I'm so happy for you, weirdo. Congratulations!" She said, and she truly meant it. "I know how much this means to you. I'm so freaking proud of you!"

"Thank you. I feel like I could scream at the top of my lungs!"

"When will you move?"

"Not until December, I guess."

Beca grumbled.

"Why?"

"I wanna keep learning new things, Becs. Besides, I'd like to save more money." She grumbled again. "Don't be mad at me, weirdo."

"I'm not mad at you, it's just I'm dying to see you."

"Me too. But three months go by really quickly."

In that moment, Bill knocked on the door.

"Hold on a second." Beca looked at the young man and urged him to enter the office. "Yes?"

"I don't know how, but I did it. Olly Murs is on his way from his hotel."

Beca sighed with relief.

"Thank you, Bill. I owe you a big one."

"No problem. By the way, Frank is here. He says he wants to see you at his office in five."

After he left, Beca resumed the phone conversation.

"Jesse, I gotta go, Frank is calling me."

"Okay. Go and kick ass, and good luck with the audition."

"I'll call you later."

"I'll be waiting."

"Oh, and Jesse?" She said, before hanging up.

"Yeah?"

"Congratulations again. December can't come quick enough." She made the sound of a kiss and left her office in a hurry.


	8. A distant dinner

**Friday, September 23rd, 2016**

Jesse had no idea what he was gonna do for his 25th birthday. In past years, Beca would organize him a surprise party with his friends and watch a movie with him in the night, or they would go skating in the morning and spend the rest of the day playing videogames together. But now, times had changed. Most of his friends were in Atlanta and Beca was in the opposite side of the country, so he wasn't exactly sure of what to expect for that birthday.

He was on his way to work when his phone started ringing. It was Beca, so he answered right away.

"Hi, Becs."

"Hi, weirdo. Happy birthday!"

He smiled, delighted to hear her voice.

"Thank you for not forgetting it."

"Oh, don't be unfair. I never forget your birthday!"

"I know, I know, I'm just teasing you. How are you?"

"Enjoying my five minutes of peace before hell breaks loose."

"That's what you get for being good at your job, very little spare time."

"Yeah. What are you gonna do today?"

"Maybe I'll go to 'The Original Pantry' for some cheese cake or to the movies. I'll let you know."

"I'm sorry I can't be with you on your birthday, Jesse. I feel very bad."

"Don't be." He reassured her. "Seriously, it's okay. Besides, think of all the birthdays we are going to spend together in New York." He said, with his usual joy.

"Okay." She didn't sound very convinced, though. "Have you opened your present already?"

"Which present?" He asked, confused.

"What do you mean with which present? The one I gave you the day I left Atlanta!"

"Oh." He suddenly remembered. The medium-sized box, all wrapped up in blue wrapping paper, had been kept on his closet for three months. He had promised Beca not to open it until his birthday, but he had completely forgotten about it. " _That_ present."

"You forgot it, didn't you?"

"Don't get mad, please."

"I'm not mad." She was quick to point out. "Seriously, I'm not. Just be sure to check it out, okay? I hope you like it."

"It's from you, so I surely will."

"I gotta go but I'll call you later. Have fun and try not to eat a lot."

"Thank you for calling, Becs. It makes me very happy to hear your voice, even if it's just for a little while."

"It makes me happy too, Jesse. Bye."

"Bye."

* * *

Beca spent the rest of the day thinking in a way to make it up to Jesse for not being with him on his birthday. She thought about paying him a surprise visit in L.A., but she had to work that weekend. The truth was that there weren't a lot of things she could do for him from New York, and Beca found herself in a position in which she didn't know what to do. However, the answer to her problem came later in the day.

At lunch time, Beca left her office to go for a snack at _Residual Heat_ 's cafeteria. On her way to the elevator, though, she spotted Allie quietly talking to her computer. When she noticed Beca's stare, she immediately closed whatever she was watching on the internet.

"Hi!" Beca greeted her, as if she had seen nothing.

"Hey, Beca." Allie greeted her back. "Ready for lunch?"

"I'm not very hungry, I'm gonna buy some cookies or cake. Do you want me to bring you something?"

"No, no, I'm okay. Thank you."

"Okay." Beca said, and shrugged. She started walking towards the elevator, but Allie's voice stopped her before she could reach the door.

"Beca?" There was a rather guilty tone in her voice.

"Yeah?"

"You don't have to pretend you didn't see me talking to the computer."

"It's none of my business, Allie." Beca said, with sincerity.

"I was talking to my boyfriend."

"On the computer?" Beca asked, a little skeptical.

"Yeah, we were skyping. You'll see, he's in Paris on vacation and I really missed him, so it occurred to me that we could have a nice conversation while he had dinner."

In that moment, an idea popped into Beca's head.

"Really?"

"Hmm hmm. It's not the same as actually being together, but at least we get to see each other."

"True. Very true." Beca said, a little absent-minded. "Well, I don't have a problem with you skyping your boyfriend. Just try to do it at lunch time, like you were doing it right now. Okay?"

"Thanks, Beca." Allie said, and squeezed her hand. She sat back on her chair and Beca left the office, immersed in her thoughts.

* * *

Jesse left work at 7:30 p.m. every day. He always went straight home, but that night, he felt like going someplace else. He was on his way to a local bar when he got a call from Beca.

"Hi, Becs."

"Hey. Sorry I didn't call you before, I had a lot of work."

"It's okay. Isn't it a little late for you? Shouldn't you be sleeping by now?"

"Yeah, but I needed to ask you something very important."

"I'm all ears."

"Would you like to have dinner with me tonight?"

"What?" Jesse asked, a little confused.

"Dinner. With me. Tonight."

"I would love to, but how are we supposed to have dinner together if we are in opposite ends of the country?"

"I have an idea, just shut up and listen."

"Okay."

"First of all, you have Skype, don't you?"

"I do, that's how I talk to my mom in Minnesota." An idea popped into Jesse's head. "Wait, are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"Well, if you are thinking about having dinner with me through Skype, I guess—"

"It's a brilliant idea! I don't know how I didn't think about it before." He said, with excitement.

"I know, I'm really disappointed with myself. Anyway, do you accept?"

"Of course I do! What are we having?"

"I have some pizza on the fridge."

"Me too. And what are we drinking?"

"Beer?"

"Excellent. So it's decided, then. We are having a restaurant-quality dinner that will consist of pizza and beer."

"You are one fancy man."

"I've been told."

"Well, hurry back home. I'm already waiting for you."

* * *

As soon as Jesse got home, he logged into Skype and called Beca. She was very excited to see him again, as they had only spoken on the phone since she moved to New York. She felt a rush of excitement when Jesse's brown eyes and warm smile appeared on her computer screen. She felt an urgent need to kiss him, but sadly for her, technology hadn't advance that much yet.

"Oh Beca, it's feels so good to see you again."

"You too, weirdo. You look different."

"Good different or bad different?"

"You look more… built."

"And do you like it?" He asked, with a smirk.

"I love it."

"You look different, too. I think it's your hair."

"What about it?"

"It looks more natural." Beca used to straighten her natural wavy hair, but hadn't done it in a couple of months.

"I don't straighten it anymore. I've grown lazy."

"It looks great. You know I've always loved your hair."

Jesse loved complimenting Beca from head to toe.

"Well, thank you."

"By the way, dinner is served, my lady." He took his laptop and showed her his dining table. There was a can of beer and a plate with a slice of pizza.

"Yum, it looks delicious! I have everything ready, too." She showed him her own dining table, which had beer and pizza as well. " _Eleven Madison Park_ has nothing on us."

"Definitely. Let's eat, then."

They spent the next couple of hours talking and laughing about the most trivial matters in the world, just like their very first date. It was the best thing about being in a relationship with a guy like Jesse, he always managed to keep things fresh. They talked about food, music and, of course, movies. Beca rolled her eyes at Jesse's cheerful mentioning of _Finding Dory._

"Come on, Becs, it's one of the most anticipated sequels in recent times!"

"You don't say."

Jesse shrugged with defeat. He hadn't gotten used to Beca's indifference towards movies, even after five years of knowing each other.

"We are still watching it when it gets released on Blu-ray."

"We'll see."

After a few more minutes, they were done with their food. Beca checked the hour: it was almost one in the morning.

"Uh oh, have you seen the hour?"

"Oh dear, it's almost one for you!"

"Damn it, I have to get up in five hours."

"I'm sorry, I completely lost track of time."

"Don't worry, it was worth it. I really enjoyed our fancy dinner."

"Me too, it was the best birthday of my life."

"I'm glad, weirdo. It makes me feel less bad for not being with you."

"You _were_ with me, Becs."

"Wait!" She said, in a hurry. "What about your present?"

"Oh, right!" Jesse went to his room and took the medium-sized box out from his closet. "At last I get to open it."

He tore the blue wrapping paper and opened the box. He took out a small device and placed it on the table. It was a Newton's cradle, or Newton's balls. He looked at it with his eyes wide open.

"Oh. My. God."

"Do you like it?"

"Are you kidding?" Jesse said, with excitement. "I love it! I've wanted one of these for years!"

"I know." She said, with a smile.

"Thank you, Beca. Seriously, thank you." He said, visibly moved.

"I'm glad you liked it, Jesse. Now if you would excuse me, I have to sleep now."

"Right. Good night, Becs. I love you."

"Good night, weirdo. Happy birthday."


	9. A mysterious disappearance

**Thursday, December 1st, 2016**

Beca thought she was going to spend Thanksgiving with Jesse. In fact, she was quite disappointed when he called her a week before and told her he would go to Wisconsin with his dad. Jesse didn't want to go, he and his dad had been at odds for almost a year —since he left Jesse's mom for a younger woman—, but Julia Swanson had convinced her son to spend some quality time with his father.

Beca had a very close relationship with Jesse's mom, but she didn't like his dad. She couldn't feel affection for a cheater, besides he had been rude to her when they met for the first time, in the spring of 2014. Barry Swanson had dared to criticize her interests, her career choice and her personality, and Beca had tried her best to remain quiet. However, when he mentioned how different she and Jesse were, and how he couldn't understand what his son had seen in a girl like her, Beca lost what little patience she had left and snapped at him. Beca didn't take crap from anybody, she didn't care if he was Jesse's dad. They hadn't spoken ever since, and Beca wasn't sure if they could see each other face to face ever again. He had obviously expressed his disapproval of the young couple moving in together, but his opinion didn't matter to Jesse anymore.

Instead of spending Thanksgiving with Jesse, Beca went to Bill's house and dined with him, Allie and some cousins of her. It had been a nice evening, although Beca felt sad for not being with Jesse. He was set to move to New York in three weeks, right before Christmas, and Beca couldn't wait. She was very excited to reunite with him after six months of not seeing each other, and she was already looking for apartments or houses in Manhattan to share with him.

That December night, before going to bed, Beca gave him a quick call.

"Hi, freak. Whaddup?"

"I just wanted to let you know that I've found the most perfect apartment in the history of the world."

"Really? Where?"

"Gramercy. One bedroom, one bathroom, kitchen, living room, and a nice terrace to look over the park."

"Oh my God." Gramercy was one of the quietest and safest areas in Manhattan. "How did you find it?"

"Chloe's dad works in real estate and he has a colleague who recently relocated to Brooklyn. I called him and asked him if he knew of not-so-expensive apartments or houses in Manhattan. He put me in contact with the owner and he agreed to sell."

"How much?"

"One million fifty thousand."

"It's a little expensive."

"Yeah, naturally, but if you compare it with other apartments it's practically a gift."

"That's true. Besides, we are both paying for it."

"Exactly. So, are you ready to live an East Coast life again?"

"Totally. I'm counting the days."

"Me too. Well, I just wanted to tell you of the apartment. I'm going to bed now, it's almost midnight."

"Okay, Becs. Good night, sleep tight. I'll call you tomorrow."

"Good night, Jesse."

* * *

After Beca hung up, Jesse noticed his phone battery was below 10%. He immediately charged it and went straight to bed. Just when he was about to fall asleep, he felt his phone vibrate. He reluctantly got out of bed and answered the call.

"Hello?"

He heard a distant sob.

"Hello?" He asked again, confused.

"Jesse, it's me."

It was his mom. Jesse got scared.

"Mom. What's the matter?"

"It's your grandmother. She just passed away."

 _Damn_. Jesse's grandmother had been very sick for a few months, he even had gone to visit her in Minnesota in May. She had lived longer than doctors expected, but her lung condition was irreversible.

"Oh God." He managed to say. "I'm so sorry, mom."

"Do you think you can come? I know it's late, but I really need you here."

"Of course I'll go!" Jesse said, without a trace of doubt in his voice. "I'll take the next plane to Minnesota."

He packed a few clothes and left his house. By the time he arrived at the airport, he realized his phone had run out of battery. That's when he remembered he had forgotten his charger in his room.

* * *

 **Monday, December 5th, 2016**

That afternoon, at work, Beca was feeling worried. She hadn't heard from Jesse all weekend, which was pretty odd considering the fact that he called her or texted her every day. She had tried calling him that morning, without answer. She didn't want to think about it more than she should, because she wanted to believe it all had a logical explanation. However, she couldn't help to feel a little uneased.

She was staring at her phone, absent minded, when Bill entered her office.

"You wanted to see me, Beca?"

"Yes." She said, forgetting about Jesse for a second. "I need you to call Neyla Davis' agent and tell him that we need him to send us the demos he talked about the other day. Frank wants to check them out, so tell him it's urgent."

"Right away. Anything else?"

"No, thank you."

Bill was a very perceptive man, and he immediately noticed there was something wrong with Beca.

"Are you okay?"

"Why do you ask?" She nervously said.

"You don't seem your usual self. Is something the matter?"

For a moment, Beca doubted about telling him about her worries.

"It's Jesse." She finally said.

"What about him?"

"I didn't hear from him all weekend. I called him but he never answered the phone."

"Maybe he's busy."

"Even so, it's unusual in him." She said, quite mortified. "He hasn't even texted me."

"Maybe he lost his phone or something like that. Why don't you send him a Facebook message or an email?"

"I'll do that, yeah."

"Don't worry, Beca." He reassured her, with optimism. "I don't know the guy but I'm sure it all has a perfectly logical explanation."

"I want to believe that. Thank you for your kind words, Bill." She said, with a smile. "I won't worry unless there's a reason for doing so."

* * *

 **A/N: So we have caught up with the beginning of the story! I have exams this week, but I'll try to update on Friday. Thank you for reading! :)**


	10. A pleasing surprise

**A/N: Exams week is over! Yay! Here's the new chapter, hope you enjoy it :) As always R &R.**

* * *

 **Thursday, December 8** **th** **, 2016**

In six months of working in New York, Beca hadn't missed a single day of work. However, that day, she called in sick. She was too worried about Jesse's mysterious disappearance and didn't think she would be able to concentrate.

At 11:00 a.m. she called Fat Amy in L.A., following Chloe's advice.

"Hey _Shawshank_!" Her friend greeted her from the other side of the line. "It's so good to hear you, you have forgotten me since you went to New York!"

"Hi, Amy. I'm sorry I haven't called you, I've been very busy these past few months. How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. Here to there, living life to the fullest; you know me."

"That's nice." Beca said, a little desperate to cut to the chase. "Amy, I need you to do me a favor."

"Of course, Beca! For you, anything."

"I need you to go and check on Jesse's house."

"Why? What's the matter?"

"I haven't heard from him in a week and I'm afraid something bad happened to him."

"Okay." Amy knew when to stop asking questions. "I'll be on my way as soon as you send me his address."

"Thank you, Amy. I wouldn't bother you if it weren't important."

"I know, _BM_. I'll call you as soon as I get there."

Beca thought she was lucky to have such good friends by her side.

"Thanks again."

"You're welcome. Bye."

* * *

A couple of hours later, Fat Amy called Beca back. She quickly answered her phone, anxious for news.

"Talk to me, Amy."

"I have bad news for you, girl. Apparently, no one has seen Jesse in a week."

"What?!"

"I went to his house, I rang a few times without answer. I noticed his car wasn't parked, so I talked to two of his neighbors. The last time they saw him was last Thursday, when he came back from work."

 _The last time we talked._

"This can't be happening." Beca said, trying to remain calm.

"One of his neighbors told me Jesse gave her a key to his house a few weeks ago, for her to check on it when he moved to New York."

"Yes, Mrs. Park. Did you have a chance to get in?"

"Naturally. I don't know him as well as you do, but I didn't see anything odd or out of place. All of his stuff was there: his clothes, his movies, some photos…"

Beca wasn't listening to Fat Amy anymore. Instead, she was trying to think in a good reason to not fall into despair.

"I see." She simply said, trying not to sound too mortified.

"What are you gonna do next, Beca?" Her friend asked, preoccupied.

"Well, I'll call the police. Do I have another option?"

"No, I guess not. Is there anything else I can do for you?"

"You have done enough already, Amy. Thank you for your help." She said, as honest as she could.

"I hope everything ends up well, Beca."

"I know you do. I'll call you as soon as I have any news, okay?"

"Please do."

* * *

After hanging up, Beca was determined to fill a missing person report. However, just when she was about to turn on her computer, her phone started ringing again. She thought about not answering it (she had more important things in mind) but did it anyway.

"Hello?"

"Beca, it's me!"

It was Jesse. Beca's heart skipped a beat.

"Jesse?" Is that really you?" She couldn't believe her ears.

"Yes!"

He sounded okay, at least the four words he had said until then. Beca's initial relief was quickly replaced with rage.

"Oh my God, where the hell have you been?" She yelled at him, with anger. "I've been looking for you like crazy! You better have a _very_ good explanation for this!"

"I know, and before you say anything else, I actually _do_ have a very good one."

"Well, I'm waiting."

"My grandmother died last week."

The news caught Beca off guard.

"I'm very sorry to hear that." She said, with true sorrow.

"Yeah. We knew it was a matter of time, her lungs were very weak. I got a call from my mom right after our last conversation, and I took the next plane to Minnesota. My phone ran out of battery and I tried to call you from my mother's house, but it went straight to voice mail—"

"No, no, no." Beca interrupted him. " _I_ tried to call you and it went straight to voice mail!"

"I swear I did. It was on Friday."

"But how could I not…" She suddenly remembered. "Wait. At what time did you call?"

"Early in the morning."

"Oh. Well, I accidentally dropped my phone on Friday and it didn't work for a while. I took it to a technician to get it fixed, so I didn't have it with me for most of the day."

"That's why you couldn't pick it up."

"But you could have texted me or send me an email."

"I tried to, but I had no time. As soon as I got to my mom's, we went to my grandmother's house. We did _Shiva_ for her." Jesse was Jewish, and so was his mother's family. "I couldn't leave the house, I had to be with my mother. I couldn't use a computer or ask for a cellphone, either."

Suddenly, everything started to fit.

"That's why your mom didn't answer my calls, right?" It sounded more like a statement than a question.

"Yes." He made a small pause. "I wanted to call you, because I assumed the lack of news would make you worried."

"Well, you assumed right."

"It was never my intention to worry you, Beca, I'm very sorry." He made a pause again. "Do you think you can forgive me?"

"Of course I forgive you. It's all water under the bridge now." She said, with complete honesty.

"I'm gonna make it up to you, I promise."

"You don't have to, Jesse." She said, more relaxed than before. "I'm relieved nothing bad happened to you. You are safe, and that's enough for me." And it was true. She was finally feeling at ease for the first time in days.

"Are you sure? Because I have a little surprise for you."

"You do?"

"Do me a favor and look out your window." Immediately, he hung up. Beca looked at her phone screen, estranged. She thought Jesse was playing her a joke, and couldn't understand why he had asked her to do such a thing. She did it anyway, although she didn't know what the hell it was all about.

She almost felt out the window when she saw Jesse standing on the sidewalk. He was looking at her with a big smile on his face. A tremendous joy filled Beca's body.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She asked, barely hiding her excitement.

"Since I was already out of L.A., I figured I could pay you a quick visit!" He yelled from his spot in the street. "Would you mind if I get in? It's a little cold out here!"

Beca quickly took her keys from her purse and threw them to Jesse.


	11. Bertucci's

**A/N: hi! I'm sorry I didn't post a new chapter in the whole week, but I had a very important paper about Freud to deliver today and I really didn't have the time. This week will be a lot lighter, but thank you for your patience :) Enjoy!**

* * *

Jesse was taking an eternity to walk upstairs to Beca's apartment, or at least that's how it felt. As soon as he opened the front door she ran straight to his arms, not giving him time to react. She and her 5'2" almost knocked him over, but he managed to hold his balance. He buried his face on her hair and she held his body against hers as tight as she could.

God, she had missed him. It wasn't until her lips were pressed against his that she finally believed he was there, with her. Her hands moved from his neck to his chest, while his remained on her waist. It was a long kiss, very much like the one they had shared after their first ICCAs.

When it came to making out with Jesse, Beca had never been considerably passionate. Maybe because it wasn't how they were as a couple. Their relationship was based on more than just sex or physical attraction. There was something very intimate in the way they kissed and touched each other. Beca couldn't explain it, but she considered it some sort of weird connection.

When they pulled apart, he began to gently rub her face.

"God, I've missed you." He said, as if he had read her thoughts.

"Me too. I can't believe it's been six months."

"They felt like six years."

"Yeah." She grabbed his hand and pressed it against her cheek. "But now you are here. I still can't believe it."

"I told you before that as long as you want me by your side, I'll be where you are."

"Do you have any idea how corny that sounds?" She said, with a laugh.

"I stand by it." He said, with his usual goofiness.

"How long are you staying?"

"I have to be back in L.A. by tomorrow night."

"Good thing I skipped work today, we have a lot of catch up to do." Beca said, and winked at him.

* * *

Beca wasn't sure why she and Jesse had become such good friends before being a couple. Beca didn't like goofy people —well, she didn't like people _at all_ , so it definitely hadn't been that. She didn't like movies, much to Jesse's displeasure. She hadn't been impressed by his voice, either, or his questionable dancing skills. What was it, then, that caught her attention in the first place?

Well, the answer was a simple one: Jesse was the only person she knew that felt as passionate towards music as she did. She noticed it from the moment he first talked about his dream of blowing people's mind with his work, as only music could do that. Beca wasn't easy to impress, but Jesse had done the impossible.

After they celebrated their first anniversary, Beca began to think they could actually work as a couple for longer than she first thought. The truth was that she had never have a boyfriend before Jesse —not for real, at least. She had been attracted to a guy once, back in high school, but they never were in an actual relationship. Everything she had lived with Jesse had been a brand new experience, and it had been a very pleasant one. She didn't like to admit it at the beginning, but she had come to terms with her feelings and had learned to express them without fear.

She was woken up by Jesse's lips, which were gently pressed against her forehead. She grumbled and slowly opened her eyes, and found him staring at her with a smile on his face.

"What are you looking at, dude?"

"You sleep too much."

"There's no such thing as too much sleep."

"If I had let you, you would have woken up till tomorrow."

"Maybe you sleep too little. Haven't you thought about that with that big, musical brain of yours?"

He playfully tickled her.

"Maybe I have."

"What time is it?" She asked, as she stood up from bed and grabbed some clothes from a drawer. He gave a quick look to his watch.

"8:55 p.m."

"Why did you wake me?"

"Because I want us to have dinner together."

Beca looked at him, estranged.

"Why?" She asked, suspiciously.

"No particular reason." He said, and shrugged. "What were you thinking?"

"Never mind." She said, and shook her head. "What do you feel like having?"

"I'm always in the mood for pizza."

"There's a really nice place a couple of blocks from here. I think it's called _Bertucci's_."

"Sounds fine to me."

* * *

 _Bertucci's_ was a small Italian Restaurant a couple of blocks away from Beca's apartment. It was a five-minute walk, and it proved to be a very enjoyable one for the young couple. Although it was a cold night, the sky was clear and the air refreshed them as they walked through the streets of Jersey City.

"It's very cold in here." Jesse pointed out, as they turned a corner.

"Well, we are not in L.A. You'll get used."

They went inside the restaurant and ordered a "Sporkie Large", which had sweet Italian sausage, ricotta cheese, tomato sauce, and mozzarella cheese. As soon as the waiter left with their order, they resumed their conversation.

"Have you enjoyed living here, Becs?" Jesse asked her, as they both ate a breadstick.

"I have. It's a nice place, and it's really close to New York. It's not that expensive, it's actually quite affordable. Which reminds me," she said, and leaned forward in her seat, "remember I told you about that precious apartment I found in Gramercy Park?"

"Yeah."

"Well, I've been thinking about it, and…" She said, doubtfully.

"And?" He encouraged her to finish her sentence.

"Giving it second thoughts, I don't think it's a good idea after all. At least not now."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want us to start our new life here up to our necks in debt. I wasn't really thinking about the mortgage and how expensive it can be. I really wanted us to move somewhere nicer."

"Somewhere nicer?" Jesse asked, with surprise. "Don't you like your apartment?"

"I do, but I wouldn't mind living in Manhattan."

"Neither would I, but we aren't moving tomorrow. We can wait for a while, until I find a job and you start climbing up the ladder at RH. It doesn't have to be right away, Becs."

"I know." She said, and sighed. "Anyway, I just wanted you to know what I think. I'm sorry if I built your hopes up."

"I never build my hopes up, Beca. I always expect the worst."

He was obviously joking.

"No, you don't." Beca was quick to point out. "You are the most optimistic person I know. It's kind of annoying."

In that moment, the waiter came along with their food.

"Let's make a toast." He said, and they rose their glasses of wine. "To whatever the future departs."

They clinked their glasses.

"Amen to that." She said, with a smile.


	12. The workplace

The next day, Beca woke up at same time as usual. Jesse was already in the kitchen, making breakfast.

"Good morning, weirdo." He greeted her.

"Good morning." She sniffed with curiosity. "Is that roast beef I smell?"

"It is. I'm making you one of my world-famous roast beef sandwiches."

"If they are so famous, why is it that in four years you have never made me one?" She said, as she sat on the table. "And where did you get the roast beef? I barely have eggs and milk on the fridge."

"I got it at the store down the street. I saw it last night when we were walking to _Bertucci's_."

"I've never been to that store."

He served their sandwiches on two plates and put one in front of Beca. He sat beside her with his plate on his hand.

"Tell me what you think. No lies, please."

"Okay."

She took the sandwich with her hands and gave it a small bite.

"Well, congratulations." She said after a while, visibly surprised. "I'm impressed, you have finally cooked something worth eating."

"Don't sound so surprised!"

They ate the rest of their breakfast between laughs and jokes. When they were done, Beca took the dishes to the kitchen while Jesse finished his coffee.

"At what time are you leaving?"

"My plane takes off at 6:30 p.m."

"What will you do in the meantime?"

"I don't know. I would like to visit Central Park, but I don't think I'll have enough time to go there and make it to the airport in time."

Beca remained silent for a moment.

" _Residual Heat_ is a couple of blocks away from Central Park." She pointed out. "What if you come with me? You can spend the day there and Mr. Hammond can take you to the airport."

"Well, I would love to visit your workplace!" He said, with a smile.

* * *

They walked down the stairs onto the street. As always, Mr. Hammond was already waiting for Beca. He was using his phone and didn't notice the young couple walking towards his car.

"Hello, sir." Beca said, as they both went inside the taxi.

"Hello, Beca." He answered back, still absorbed in what he was doing. "I missed you yesterday."

"I had an unexpected visit."

In that moment, Mr. Hammond noticed Jesse. He scrutinized him through the rear-view mirror with great detail.

"Well, hello."

"Good morning, sir."

"And who you might be, young man?"

Although nervous, Jesse didn't flinch with the question.

"I'm Jesse Swanson, sir."

The taxi driver looked at him with curiosity.

"Are you _that_ Jesse?"

"I don't know." Jesse said, with surprise. He then looked at Beca. "Am I?"

"Yes, he is." She was quick to point out.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you." Mr. Hammond said, and offered his hand to Jesse. "Frederick Hammond, at your service."

They both shook hands.

"How you do?" Jesse said, not as nervous as before.

"To Spring Street as usual, or are you guys going someplace else?"

"Spring Street. Thank you, Mr. Hammond."

The two men spend the whole trip getting to know each other. The middle-aged man practically interrogated Jesse about every aspect of his life, and he was kind and patient enough to answer them all. He told him about his upbringing in Minnesota, his family, his interests and hobbies, and some of his plans for the future. Beca couldn't help but smile at their interaction. She was glad they were getting along well, as the taxi driver had become some sort of 'paternal figure' to her.

"Beca told me it is your dream to become the next John Williams."

Jesse immediately blushed.

"Well, that would be kind of impossible." He admitted. "If I get to do what I love most for the rest of my life, it will be enough for me."

"That's the attitude, my boy." Mr. Hammond said, proudly.

After a twenty-minute drive, they arrived to the Spring Street subway station.

"Same time and place as usual?" Mr. Hammond asked Beca before they got out of the car.

"Yes, please. Also, I want to ask you a favor."

"Anything."

"Jesse has to be at EWR at 4:30 p.m., do you think you can drive him?"

"Sure I can. Where should I pick you?" He asked Jesse.

"I'll be walking around Central Park, what if I give you a call?"

"Okay. I'll see you later, Beca."

"Bye, sir. Thank you again."

* * *

They walked through the station onto their train. Beca was already an expert on routes and ticket prices, and Jesse was looking everywhere with enthusiasm.

"I gotta tell you, Becs," he said, when they were already in their seats, "this whole thing is making me very excited."

"Why is that?"

"This is my first ever subway ride! Isn't that exciting?"

There was real enthusiasm in his voice, which made Beca laugh. He was like a child in a candy store.

"You are an idiot."

"C'mon, show some excitement!" He said, and playfully pushed her in the arm.

"You get used to it. It becomes routine after a while."

"Just because you have experienced something, it doesn't mean you don't get to feel excited about it." He pointed out.

"That's a good point."

They traveled through the tunnels until they reached the Fifth Avenue/53rd Street station. They went outside and walked two blocks to _Residual Heat_ 's headquarters.

"Do you wanna come in?" Beca asked Jesse, once outside the building.

"Sure."

They entered the lobby, which was as crowded as always. Beca guided Jesse to the elevators and took him to the 'Scouting' area.

"Make yourself comfortable." She said, when they entered her office. He sat in one of the chairs and began observing everything around him.

"It's cozy." He said. "I can see your personal touch."

Band posters and vinyl albums decorated the walls. There were some books on the shelves and a couple of photos Jesse quickly recognized. One of them was of Beca and the other Bellas performing " _Flashlight_ " at the World Championship of a Cappella. The other one was a picture of them on Jesse's 20th birthday party. They had gone to _Sky Zone_ , an indoor trampoline park, and they both'd had a wonderful time jumping and playing Dodgeball with their friends.

"I didn't know you had this photo, I've been looking for it for ages!" He said, and stood up to have a clearer look.

"Well, I didn't know _you_ didn't know I had it."

"I'm glad I didn't lose it. Do you remember that day?"

She smiled.

"I remember your failed attempt at doing a Somersault. That was hilarious."

He instinctively put his hand on his forehead.

"Maybe, but it hurt as hell."

In that moment, Bill entered the office in a hurry. He didn't notice Jesse, as he was reading some papers.

"Morning, Beca."

"Hi, Bill. What's up?"

"Frank wants to see you in his office as soon as possible."

"Did he say why?"

"I think it has something to do with the recording session of the Fraser guy. I saw his agent in the elevator."

"Okay, I'll be there in a second." She then realized Bill hadn't noticed Jesse's presence. "Bill, I wanna introduce you to Jesse Swanson."

Bill turned around and saw Jesse, who was still standing by the shelves.

"Oh, so you are _that_ Jesse!" Bill said, with excitement. Beca thought it was the second time someone asked Jesse the same question.

"I am!" Jesse said, as friendly as always. "Nice meeting you, Bill."

"Nice meeting you, too." They shook hands. "Beca talks a lot about you, it's good to finally put a face to a name."

"She also talks about you, and a girl called Allie. It's great that Beca has made such good friends in here."

"Are you staying in New York?" Bill asked, with curiosity.

"I have to go back to L.A., but I'll move in two weeks."

"That's great! Let me know so we get out and celebrate."

"I will."

Bill left the office, leaving Beca and Jesse alone once again.

"Well, you better go now." He said. "We don't want Frank to get angry."

Beca shrugged.

"He's _always_ angry, anyway. Have a good time in Central Park, and please, don't be late for your plane."

He approached her and hugged her, tightly. She breathed in his scent, which was —like always, extremely pleasing.

"I'll see you for Christmas."

"Call me when you get to L.A."

They kissed goodbye, and he left the place.


	13. Different things

**A/N: Hi! Here's the newest chapter, it's very short but I'll try to make the next one longer. Please R &R. Enjoy :)**

* * *

A couple of hours after Jesse left, Beca's phone started ringing. It was Chloe.

"Hi, Chlo."

"Please tell me you found Jesse." Her friend said, with obvious concern. Beca realized she hadn't told her about Jesse's surprise visit.

"Oh, shit. Yes, I did. I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you. He called me yesterday and explained everything."

"So he's okay?"

"He is."

Beca proceeded to tell Chloe about the reason behind Jesse's disappearance, including the visit he had paid her.

"I'm happy to know nothing bad happened to him." Chloe said, after Beca was done with the story. "But seriously, wasn't he able to make a phone call or use a computer for a whole week? He could have let you know of his whereabouts somehow."

She didn't sound bitchy or malicious, just a little curious.

" _Shiva_ is a period of mourning, Chlo. Only his closest family knew of his grandmother's death —and they were all there with him. He was confident I would understand why he couldn't call me. I talked to his mom, she apologized for not answering my calls. It's all water under the bridge now."

"Anyway, the important thing is that he's okay and you are not stressed anymore." Chloe then changed her tone to a more casual one. "By the way, I have news for you."

"Good ones, I hope."

"I submitted my application to Juilliard."

"Oh my God." Beca couldn't believe her ears. "Did you, really?"

"I did." Chloe said, proudly.

"When?"

"Two weeks ago."

"What made you do it?"

"I finally decided to follow my dream of becoming a professional actress."

"It was about damn time!" Beca said, utterly excited for her friend. "Congratulations, Chloe, I'm very happy for you!"

"Thanks Beca, I know you are. Although I'm not building my hopes up, Juilliard has a very low acceptance rate."

"How low?"

"Over 8.4%"

"Well, the truth is they would be assholes not accepting you."

"You don't mean that."

"I do. You are a hard-working girl, passionate and with a special talent for performing arts. It has an 8.4% acceptance rate, so what? You know what they say: 'Nothing worth having comes easy.' Juilliard may be the best, but not the only performing school in the country. They reject you? It's their loss, not yours."

Chloe didn't say anything, as if she were weighing Beca's words.

"Damn, I don't remember you being so good at motivating others!"

"When you have five people under your command, you need to develop certain skills."

"I'll try to remain positive. Like you say, it's not the only school."

"When is your audition?"

"Last week of January. If everything goes well, final callbacks will be held in March."

"I guess they'll both be here, in New York."

"You guessed right."

"Well, you are very welcome to stay in my place."

"What about Jesse? Won't he have a problem with it?"

"He forgave you when you made him a super tasty caramel onion for April Fools' Day. Trust me, he won't mind if you stay in the apartment for a few days."

"That's true. I still can't understand how he forgave me for that."

"Me neither."

"Is he excited for the big move?"

"Jesse was born excited. "

"What about you? Are you ready?"

"It's not the first time we live together. We shared the apartment in Atlanta for almost a year, remember?"

"But things are different now, aren't they?"

Chloe was using her mischievous tone, which was making Beca quite confused.

"What do you mean?"

"You don't expect your relationship to be the same it has been for the last four and a half years, right? You obviously have diffferent plans for the future."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Never mind." Her friend said, a little exasperated, making Beca even more confused than before. "I gotta go but I'll call you later. Give Jesse my regards."

"Okay. Bye."

Chloe hung up, leaving Beca alone with her thoughts.

 _What the hell did she mean with our relationship not being the same?_

* * *

 **A/N: What does Chloe mean? Do you think she's hinting at something obvious?**


	14. A fair deal

**A/N: Hi! Here's the new chapter, hope you enjoy it :) As always R &R.**

* * *

 **Saturday, December 17** **th** **, 2016**

Jesse moved in with Beca the following week after his surprise visit, on the 15th of December. She wasn't expecting him until the 23rd, but having him with her earlier than expected made her the happiest person in the world. Jesse didn't have much personal belongings, except for his movie collection and a bunch of CDs, so it wasn't hard for Beca to make room for his stuff in her drawers. It looked as if only peaceful times were ahead of the happy couple.

However, they soon found themselves having their first argument in six months.

"No, absolutely no."

"Why not?"

"Because I don't want to."

Jesse was trying to convince Beca to go to Times Square for New Year's Eve, without success.

"Give me one good reason."

"Because it's cliché."

"It's not cliché, it's tradition!"

"I thought you'd have realized by now that I'm not particularly keen on tradition."

"Becs, please!" He said, and gave her his puppy eyes.

"Don't bother giving me that look, it won't work this time." She said, not looking at him. "Pay attention to the game, I almost intercept that pass."

Jesse grumbled and insisted no more. They were playing Madden 16 on the living room. Beca was an avid football fan and a gifted player, and she had chosen the Atlanta Falcons to play against Jesse's Minnesota Vikings. In the end, Beca destroyed him 44 to 13.

"It's always a pleasure to play with you." She said, obviously mocking him.

"Now you have to do something for me, given the fact you just humiliated me."

"Well, what do you want me to do?"

"Consider going to Times Square with me."

Beca cracked her knuckles with annoyance.

"Oh God, be a good looser!"

"This is our first New Year's Eve in New York, we have to make it a special one!"

Jesse wasn't the kind of person who pulled up without a fight, and Beca wasn't easy to persuade. Most of their fights consisted in Jesse trying to convince Beca of doing something nerdish or embarrassing.

"Okay, let's suspend reality for a second and suppose I accept. You are aware that you'll have to do something for me in return, aren't you?"

"Seriously?" He said, with surprise.

"That in case I say yes, which I'm not."

"What do you want me to do?"

"I don't know, I have to think about it." She said, while turning on her laptop. "But it'll definitely be something equally embarrassing."

"Well, I don't mind." Jesse said, with optimism. "I wanna go to Times Square in New Year's Eve, I don't care the prize I have to pay."

"We'll see."

* * *

 **Monday, December 19th, 2016**

"Beca, you've got a second?"

Gabrielle, Frank's assistant, was already waiting for her in her office when she arrived to work that Monday morning.

"Hi, Gaby. How can I help you?"

"Frank asked me to give you this."

She handed her a white envelope.

"What is it?"

"An invitation to our Christmas Party."

"Really?" Beca said, and opened it. She took out a medium size party invitation from the envelope and looked at it with great detail.

"I forgot to give it to you last week, I'm sorry." She said. "It's this Friday. We really hope you can join us."

"I'll be happy to!" Beca said, with enthusiasm. She wasn't a fan of parties, but that one seemed like fun. "Do I have to RSVP?"

"No, there's no need. You only have to let us know if you are using your plus one."

"Well, I don't think I will. My boyfriend feels uncomfortable when wearing a suit, and I guess it's a requisite for this party."

"I'm afraid it is." Gaby said. "But you never know, maybe he's willing to make the sacrifice."

In that moment, a brilliant idea popped into Beca's head.

"Yeah." She simply said, and shrugged. "Maybe you're right."

* * *

That night, when Beca arrived home, she was in an excellent mood. So much, that it made Jesse extremely curious.

"You look very happy today!" He said, after he kissed her in greeting.

"As a matter of fact, I am." She had a big smile on her face. "Remember the little conversation we had the other day for the Times Square thing?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well," she said, and began walking around the room with her hands behind her back, "I've been thinking about it and I'm pretty sure I've come with a brilliant solution to the problem. Long story short, I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse."

 _The Godfather_ was one of the few Jesse movies Beca actually liked.

"Go on." He said, visibly intrigued.

She took out what seemed like an invitation from her purse and handed it to him. He read the piece of paper from beginning to end.

"RH is having a Christmas party?"

"Yep, this Friday at 8:00 p.m."

"Cool, but I don't understand." Jesse said, still confused. "What does this have to do with Times Square?"

She looked at him, with a glimpse of challenge in her stare.

"I think you do, dude."

Suddenly, something clicked in his mind. He let out a good laugh once he realized what Beca's point was.

"Oh God." He managed to say. "Are you serious?"

"I am, or does it look like I'm kidding?"

"Let me get this straight: you want me to go with you to the party for you to go with me to Times Square?"

"Basically, yeah."

"Okay, that's practically blackmail."

"Well, I think it's a fair trade. If I'm gonna embarrass myself by going with you and a million strangers to Times Square in New Year's Eve, with the risk of suffocating to death, you have to come with me to _Residual Heat_ 's Christmas Party on Friday." She said, speaking as someone who is aware that has just won an argument.

Jesse didn't say anything. He just stood there, thinking in Beca's proposition.

"Do I have to wear a suit?" He asked, after a brief moment in silence. Jesse hated every kind of formal attire.

"Of course." She answered, triumphant.

He muttered something to himself, and then exhaled in defeat.

"Fine, you win. If that's what I have to do for you to come with me, bring it. But with one condition." He said, before giving Beca time to celebrate. "If I have to wear a suit, you'll have to wear one of those New Year's hats and glasses."

For a moment, Jesse could have sworn he saw Beca imagining herself wearing them. However, she didn't say a single word.

"Deal." She simply said, and they both shook hands.

 _God help me_.


	15. A suit and tie

**A/N: Here's the new chapter :) Hope you enjoy it!**

* * *

 **Friday, December 23** **rd** **, 2016**

Jesse didn't like it when other men talked about how long it took for women to get ready for a party, especially since not all of them were like that —Beca, for example. Although she was gorgeous and extremely good-looking (for Jesse, anyway), she had never cared that much about her appearance. As a matter of fact, she used to criticize her female friends for taking forever to put on their dresses, applying their make-up and doing their hair, making their boyfriends' lives miserable in the process. It always took Beca thirty minutes tops to get ready, and that day proved to be no exception to the rule.

Jesse was already waiting for her in the living room when she came out of the bathroom. The moment he saw her, his heart started pounding really fast. She was wearing a sleeveless black dress with lace and black heels, and had the top half of her brown hair tied up while the underneath ran loose. She was astonishing, and Jesse couldn't stop looking at her. He was captivated by the way her blue eyes beautifully contrasted with her outfit.

His stare didn't go unnoticed to Beca.

"Well, what do you think?" She asked him. "In a scale from 1 to 10, how much does it suck?"

"You look… amazing." He managed to say, spellbound.

"Yeah, right."

"No, I mean it. You look splendid."

"That's what every guy tells his girlfriend to stop hell from breaking loose."

"I'm not _every guy_." He cleverly said. "Besides, most of the times they don't really mean it."

"And you do?"

"Yeah, I do." He kissed her forehead, and then her lips. "Believe when I say you are the most beautiful woman on this earth."

"Even when I'm forcing you to go to this stupid party?" She said, and rose an eyebrow.

"At least I get to spend time with you, which automatically makes me the luckiest man in the world."

Jesse knew Beca wasn't into cheesy stuff. However, a smile always appeared in her face whenever he said things like that.

"You are a weirdo." She said.

"It's nothing but the truth. By the way, how do I look?"

He was wearing a black suit with a red tie.

"Very handsome, I might say."

"Thank you."

"Life's pretty unfair, you know? It's not that hard for guys to get ready for parties, all you need is a suit and a decent tie."

"That's true. Anyway, we better go. We don't wanna be late."

* * *

Jesse was surprised to see so many familiar faces at _Residual Heat_ 's Christmas party. Singers, composers and musicians had gathered in the building to celebrate such a special event, besides the people who worked there. They had hired a DJ and music was playing really loud from the speakers, and some couples were dancing on an improvised dance floor. Jesse and Beca, however, were standing in a corner by themselves with their eggnogs on their hands, talking about everything they saw.

"You see that guy with the green tie?" Beca said to him. "His name is Dan. When he was young, he was in a band and toured the States for a year or so."

"Did he do it in a van? Because if he didn't, then there's no point."

"I don't know! The only thing I know is that they were a one-hit wonder, that's all."

"That sucks."

In that moment, a young girl appeared in front of them. She had olive skin and green eyes, and was wearing a blue dress. Beca seemed happy to see her, and Jesse guessed they were good friends.

"Beca, you made it!" There was something weird about her smile, and Jesse thought she might had had a few more drinks than usual. "I thought you weren't coming!"

"Hi, Allie. Let's say there was a change of plans."

"Well, I'm glad. And who this might be?" Allie said, looking at Jesse with curiosity. "Let me guess, you must be Beca's boyfriend."

"I am." Jesse said, with a smile.

"I'm Allison, but you can call me Allie."

"Nice to meet you, Allie."

"Nice to meet you too, Jason."

Beca laughed out loud, and Jesse had to keep himself from doing it, too. He figured it wasn't the right time to correct the young girl.

"Well, enough with the introductions. Come on, let's dance!" She went back to the dance floor. Beca looked at Jesse, he shrugged and offered her his hand.

They danced for a couple of hours or so, until dinner was served. The menu consisted in Creamy Winter Squash Soup with Herbed Crostini, Glazed Honey Roast Ham, and White Cake with Mincemeat. It was the most delicious food Jesse had ever tasted, although wearing a suit was making him very uncomfortable. He leaned back on his seat and tried to loosen his tie, without success.

His struggle, however, didn't go unnoticed to Beca.

"Here, let me help you." She said, but he shook his head.

"I'm fine."

"You look quite uncomfortable."

"Don't worry, it's just a tie; it won't kill me."

She looked at him with a trace of doubt in her eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"I am." He reassured her, and squeezed her hand.

"Okay." She said.

* * *

Jesse and Beca arrived home at dawn. Jesse was feeling very tired, and all he wanted to do was to go straight to bed. However, Beca grabbed him by the arm just when he was about to go into their room.

"What is it?"

"I wanted to apologize for tonight."

"What about tonight?" Jesse said, confused.

"I felt really bad seeing you struggle with your tie. I know you did it because I asked you to, and I'm sorry you were so uncomfortable."

"It was worth it." He said, with a smile. "You are happy, aren't you?"

"I am."

"Well, that's enough for me. What's a stupid tie compared to your happiness?"

Beca didn't say anything, she just gave him a kiss on the cheek.

"You are very sweet. Now go and rest, you've earned it."

"Aren't you coming?"

"I'm not tired. I wanna watch some TV."

He shrugged and closed the door behind him.

* * *

 **A/N: I thought about doing a big chapter about the Christmas party and New Year's Eve, but I didn't have much time this week. Hope you enjoyed it anyway :) As always R &R.**


	16. Times Square

**A/N: Hi! Here's the New Year's chapter, I hope you enjoy it :) As always R &R.**

* * *

 **Saturday, December 31** **st** **, 2016**

Beca had known Jesse for five years, and didn't remember seeing him as happy as that Saturday morning. He was awake since 7:00 a.m., and had been singing and dancing all through the apartment ever since. Beca had had no choice but to wake up as well, and thought it was a good time to take a bath. From the shower, she could hear Jesse singing " _Seasons of Love_ " at the top of his lungs.

 _Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes_

 _Five hundred twenty five thousand moments so dear_

 _Five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes_

 _How do you measure, measure a year?_

 _In daylights, in sunsets_

 _In midnights, in cups of coffee_

 _In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife_

 _In five hundred twenty five thousand six hundred minutes_

 _How do you measure, a year in the life?_

Beca couldn't help but smile at Jesse's excitement. His joy was so pure and so authentic it was practically contagious, even for someone who felt as indifferent about social gatherings as her. He was like a child in a candy store.

 _How about love?_

 _How about love?_

 _How about love?_

 _Measure in love_

 _Seasons of love_

 _Seasons of love_

However, there was something about his enthusiasm that was making Beca quite suspicious. Jesse wanted to arrive early to Times Square and get a viewing spot near the Ball, at Broadway & 43rd Street. She could understand it, as the whole point of going there was to watch the stupid Ball drop, but he was almost obsessed with the idea. Beca couldn't describe it, but she felt Jesse had some sort of "agenda". She was almost certain he was hiding something from her, but didn't know what it was.

Suddenly, an idea struck her like lightning.

 _Oh God._ She said to herself, with real panic. _What if he's planning to propose?!"_

All the pieces fit together, and Beca felt very stupid for not thinking of it before.

 _No_ , _it can't be. It would be too much, even for Jesse._

A feeling of panic covered her body. Then, her hands began shaking. She tried to think of something else, however, the thought kept bugging her for the rest of her bath and emerged from time to time as she put on some clothes and combed her hair.

 _But what if he is proposing? What am I going to say?_

She shook her head as if trying to get rid of the idea. She left her room and went to the kitchen, where Jesse was happily singing.

 _This love has taken its toll on me_

 _She said goodbye too many times before_

 _And her heart is breaking in front of me_

 _And I have no choice_

 _Cause I won't say goodbye anymore_

"Happy New Year's Eve, Beca!" He said as soon as he saw her entering the kitchen. He was making breakfast, like always. "Come on, sing with me!"

He unplugged his headphones from his iPod, and Maroon 5's song started playing really loud.

"You know the only thing I like about Maroon 5 is Adam Levine." Beca was quick to point out.

"' _This Love_ " is their signature song, you _have_ to sing it!"

"Hmm, I wouldn't be so sure about that. What about " _She will be loved_ '?"

He weighed on her words.

"Maybe. I guess it depends on personal preferences."

He turned off his iPod and kept on cooking.

"You seem very happy today."

"I am, it's New Year's Eve!"

"So?"

"A New Year means opportunities, you get to start over and make new memories."

"That's it?" Beca said, with an inquisitive tone.

"I guess." He said, confused. "Why do you ask?"

"I just wanted to know if that's all there's to it."

"I don't know what you are talking about. Is there anything you'd like to ask me?"

"Forget it." She said. "At what time do you wanna leave?"

"Well, they always say the earlier you arrive the best spot you get. I say we leave at midday, and eat in one of the nearby restaurants. That way, we'll be closer to Times Square and we won't lose valuable time."

"Sounds good to me."

* * *

On New Year's Eve, the best way to arrive to Times Square was via public transportation. Because of the large crowds that intended to assist to the celebration, the Metropolitan Transportation Authority advised people to exit at one of the surrounding stations and enter Times Square on foot. Because of this, Beca and Jesse found themselves walking a few blocks from the subway station to Broadway & 43rd Street. The streets of Manhattan were as crowded as always, but this time they were full of enthusiastic tourists that were making their way to restaurants or theatres to spend New Year's Eve.

Because of what she had heard, Beca knew it was going to be a long night. They were going to be standing for many hours, so they were wearing their most comfortable pair of snickers. It was likely to be a very, very cold night, so Jesse had lent her one of his jackets to feel warmer. They also had to "fuel up" and visit the restroom in advance, so they went to a fast food restaurant called "Shake Shack" to grab a bite.

"You choose the table, I'm going to the bathroom." Jesse said, as soon as they walked through the door.

"Okay."

Beca sat at a table by the window, and was checking the menu when her phone started ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hi Beca!"

It was Emily.

"Em, what a surprise! How are you, girl?"

"I'm fine, thanks for asking. And you? Ready to celebrate a new year?"

"I think I am."

"What are you doing tonight?"

"Jesse made me come to Manhattan. We are going to Times Square."

"Oh, that's great! And very Jesse-like, I might say."

"It is. And you?"

"I'm in Wichita with Benji and my folks. We are going to have a quiet dinner at home, and then we'll go to a bar for drinks."

"Sounds like fun."

"Well, I would love to be in Times Square. It can be quite a romantic setup for a couple, you know?"

"Yeah, I guess." In that moment, Beca saw the opportunity to share her theory with someone else. "Em, can I ask you a question?"

"Sure."

"Do you remember the conversation we had in Atlanta before I came to New York?"

"Of course, I told you I was marrying Benji and asked you to be my Maid of Honor."

"I mean the other thing."

"What other thing?" Emily said, confused.

"The marrying Jesse thing." Beca said, a little impatient.

"Oh, that! What about it?"

"Remember what we talked about?"

"Well, it wasn't much. I only asked you if the idea of marrying him had never crossed your mind. You didn't say anything, by the way. Why do you ask?"

"The truth is I'm feeling quite nervous right now." Beca took a deep breath. "I believe Jesse's going to ask me to marry him."

Emily gasped, and Beca could have sworn her friend had covered her mouth with her hand.

"O-M-Aca-G! Are you serious?"

"I wouldn't bet my life on it, but he's been very cheerful today —more than usual. He says it's because today is New Year's Eve, but I'm not buying it."

"Boys are weird, they get excited by the most trivial stuff and behave like idiots when something important happens. Maybe he's lying, maybe he's not."

"You are right. Anyway, the whole thing it's making me quite anxious."

"Well, what will you say if he asks you? Will you say yes?"

"I…" In that moment, Beca spotted Jesse walking towards her. "I'm sorry Em, I gotta hung up. I'll call you later."

"Oh, I get it. The coast isn't clear, right?"

"No, it's not."

"Okay. Have a good time in Times Square, Beca. I love you and I only wish you the best for the New Year."

"Thanks, Em. Give Benji and your folks my regards."

"I will, say hi to Jesse from me."

Jesse sat at the table just as Beca hung up the phone.

"Who was it?" He asked her.

"Emily, she wanted to wish us a happy New Year."

"Have you talked to the other girls?" He said, as he checked the menu.

"Chloe texted me, she says she's expecting lots of pictures."

"Well, I'll make sure she gets them."

Beca thought it was a good time to try and gather some information from Jesse.

"She also wonders why you were so eager to come to Times Square instead of staying home." She tried to sound as casual as she could.

Jesse shrugged.

"It's tradition. What's the first thing you think about when you hear the words "New Year's Eve"?"

"Yeah, but it still makes her curious. I don't blame her."

"Look," he said, and leaned forward on his seat, "the only thing I want is us to have a good time together. If you are afraid I'm going to propose, fear not."

His words caught her by surprise.

"How did you find out?"

"About your suspicions? I know you pretty well, Becs. Anyway, I know how you feel about cheesy stuff, and I would never make you go through that kind of embarrassment. If I were to propose, believe when I say Times Square is the last place in the world I would do it."

Beca couldn't help but smile at Jesse's honesty.

"Well, thank you for keeping that in mind."

"You're welcome."

* * *

Beca didn't like to be surrounded by people, especially strangers. She had been preparing herself for the whole week, but at the end it turned out to be nothing like she had expected.

Over one million people from all over the world gathered in Times Square to watch the Ball drop every year. The Times Square Alliance sanitation crew had handed out thousands of hats, glasses and noisemakers, and musical guests were already performing on an improvised stage a few feet away from where Jesse and Beca were standing.

They were both wearing a red hat and one of those glasses in the numerical shape of the anticipated year, which was 2017. Beca was feeling really embarrassed; Jesse, on the other hand, was on his element.

"I HOPE THIS IS ENOUGH TO PROVE MY UNCONDITIONAL LOVE TO YOU!"

"WHAT?!"

They had to scream in order to be heard among the noise.

"YOU ARE AWARE THAT I MUST LOVE YOU A LOT TO DO THIS, RIGHT?"

He gave her a long kiss.

"I KNOW, AND THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE! IT MEANS A LOT TO ME!"

The hours went by, and the streets kept filling with people. It was a freezing night, just like Beca had predicted, but she wasn't feeling cold. On the contrary, being surrounded by a million strangers was somehow making her feel warm. Their energy was contagious, and she soon found herself not feeling as uncomfortable as she thought she would be. She and Jesse spend more than seven hours talking about the weather, music, movies and trivial stuff.

At 11:59 p.m., she was looking at the surrounding buildings when Jesse nudged her.

"BECS, LOOK!" He said, and pointed out at One Times Square. She had to stand on tiptoes to see whatever he was pointing at. The ball had begun its final descent, which meant there was a minute to go to the New Year.

People started screaming and clapping like crazy. Some of them were making noise with their noisemakers, while others hugged their loved ones and stared directly at the giant ball. Beca began reflecting on the year that was coming to an end, and how much her life had changed in twelve months. The Ultimate National Team Championship, her move to New York, her promotion at _Residual Heat_ , her new friends…

"10…"

 _Oh dear._

"9…"

"8…"

"7…"

"6…"

"5…"

"4…"

"3…"

Jesse put his arm around her shoulder and embraced her.

"2…"

"1…"

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

She was deafened by all the screams. People around her were hugging each other and couples kissed under the tons of confetti that were dropping above them. Some guys were crying, while others laughed. Beca had never seen something like that, and being completely honest, it was beautiful.

Then, Jesse turned to see her.

"WHAT ABOUT A LITTLE KISS? IT'S TRADITION!"

She sighed but smiled at the same time. They kissed, and for a brief second, she feared they were going to appear on live TV. However, she was surprised to notice she didn't care anymore. She was living in the moment, and the whole experience had proven to be quite satisfactory, to say the least.

"Happy New Year, weirdo." She whispered in his ear, after they kissed.

"I hope this one ends up being better than the last!"

"Oh, you bet it will."

Then, Frank Sinatra's " _New York, New York_ " started playing really loud all across Times Square.

* * *

 **A/N: What did you think about Beca's suspicions? Do you think Jesse might have thought about proposing at some point?**


	17. For Good

**A/N: I'm very proud of this particular chapter, it's very special to me and I had to rewrite it many times. The truth is I strongly believe it's one of the best things I've ever written (especially a certain speech near the end). I hope you feel the same way, and if you don't I would really appreciate your feedback.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoy it as much as I do! :)**

* * *

 **Friday, March 24** **th** **, 2017**

It was Beca's 25th birthday that Friday, and she couldn't believe she was a quarter of a century old. The year had come and gone so quickly that she had no time to realize she was already in her mid-twenties. It seemed like yesterday when she had celebrated her 20th birthday, and she found herself reflecting on how much her life had changed in the last five years. She had become an a Cappella living legend by winning three National Championships and a World Championship, she had a _real_ job at a _real_ Record Label, had moved to New York and was living her dream of making a name for herself in the music industry. Her career was steady and, if rumors were correct, she would be promoted soon. Beca had nothing to complain about; however, something had been bugging her for a while.

It had all started on New Year's Eve, when she thought Jesse was going to ask her to marry him while they were in Times Square. Even when her suspicions turned out to be wrong, a very stupid idea had been annoying her ever since.

Marriage.

Tying the knot.

Getting hitched.

The truth was that Beca had never been the kind of girl who dreamed of getting married. In fact, when she was a teenager, she used to see the whole thing as kind of ridiculous. What was the point of a wedding between two people who were already committed to each other? It was pointless, and highly unpractical for a woman like her. However, she had to admit she had warmed up to the idea a little bit, much to her dismay.

It had all been Chloe's fault. Her idiot friend always talked about her future perfect wedding and her future perfect husband, and Beca had no choice but to listen to her _every damn time_. It was quite annoying, to say the least, and it had a side effect: soon, Beca had found herself imagining what her wedding to Jesse would be like, and the idea terrified her beyond words.

Jesse had started music school at NYU the previous January, and he had been quite the busy bee ever since. Although he lived on campus, Beca spent the weekends with him and most of the afternoons. They walked through the streets of New York, went to the movies or to some museum, and then they had dinner at some diner or pizzeria. It was a nice routine, and it reminded Beca of their years at Barden.

Beca loved Jesse more than anyone else in the world, but she wasn't sure she wanted to marry him. They had a great thing going on, and she didn't want them to ruin it by getting married. Most marriages ended in divorce, and she didn't want her relationship with Jesse to end in bad terms. She was aware it was an irrational thought, and she blamed her parents' failed marriage for making her think like that.

She didn't know what Jesse thought, but she was positive he _wanted_ them to get married. Maybe he hadn't asked her because he was too scared of what her answer might be, or maybe he thought she would panic and say no. Whatever his reason was, they had never discussed the marriage topic, which Beca thought was pretty weird considering the fact that they had just celebrated their 5th anniversary the previous week.

She had all of this in mind when she got into Mr. Hammond's taxi that Friday morning. He greeted her as he always did, but quickly noticed the young woman seemed a little more distracted than usual.

"Are you all right, Beca?" He asked her, looking at her through the rear-view mirror.

"Yeah, it's just I have a lot on my mind right now."

"Is there anything I can do to help you?"

She went quiet for a second, as if weighing on his words.

"Could you give me some advice?"

"Well, I'll do my best."

She took a deep breath.

"Do you think I have to marry Jesse?"

"As an obligation?" He said, confused.

"No, it's just a silly thought that crossed my mind. I've been thinking about it for a while, but I'm not sure I'm very keen on the idea. I don't think it's necessary, if you know what I mean."

"Then why do you ask me?"

"You are the only happily married man I know, so I want you to tell me what is the point of getting married. Beyond protocol, beyond being a natural step in every relationship."

He looked pensive for a moment.

"Well, the truth is I don't have an answer for that."

Beca wasn't expecting that kind of answer.

"But you _always_ do!"

"It's true that getting married isn't really necessary these days, especially since you have been in a stable relationship for five years. Back in the days of my youth, if you really wanted to be with the person you loved, I'm afraid marriage was the only option. But now the world is different. You guys get to choose what you want, and I think that's pretty great."

 _We get to choose what we want._ She said to herself. _But what is it that I want?_

"Now I gotta ask you, Beca: _what is it_ that you want?" He asked her, as if he had read her mind. His words hit her like a thunderbolt.

"I'm not quite sure." She said, and it was the truth.

"Well, once you figure it out, think about this. How much has your life changed since you met him? Do you still feel the same way you felt after your first month together, or the first year? Does he keep driving you crazy? Do you still feel that rush of excitement whenever you see him, or when he texts you, or says something nice to you?"

 _Yes_.

"If you really love this boy," he continued, " _if_ he's the person you want to spend the rest of your life with and you see yourself growing old beside him, then don't think of marriage as 'protocol' or an 'obligation'. In fact, don't think of marriage as anything in particular. As much, think of it as some sort of annoying requisite for you to spend two weeks in some beach in the Caribbean for your honeymoon."

Beca laughed out loud.

"I see your point."

"Do you?"

"Yeah, I do. Thank you sir, I mean it."

She felt much better now.

"Have I helped you made up your mind?"

"I think so, yeah. That's the kind of stuff I needed to hear."

"I'm glad to have been of help."

* * *

 **Saturday, March 25** **th** **, 2017**

After a two-year absence, the Bellas were back to the ICCAs. They had every intention to bring the trophy back to Barden, and Beca knew she couldn't miss it for the world. Because of this, Jesse's birthday gift to her were tickets to go see Emily and the girls at Lincoln Center. Beca was really excited to finally get a chance to see the new Bellas in action, but the truth was that she had a secret agenda as well.

That night, at Lincoln Center, she would ask Jesse to marry her.

How Jesse would react was a complete mystery to her, but she wasn't worried about that. The only thing she knew for sure was that it was what she wanted. She still didn't know how she would do it, but she was aware it had to be something they would never forget.

* * *

Lincoln Center was the world's leading performing arts center, home to the 11 resident arts organizations that represented the highest standards of excellence in symphony, opera, chamber music, theater, dance, film, and arts education. Beca was proud of having performed there not once, twice or three times, but a total four. It was quite an impressive achievement, and she had very fond memories of that place.

It felt weird, though, being on the other side of the stage. The building didn't seem quite as big from her seat on the sixth row, and although she wasn't performing in that occasion, she couldn't help to feel nervous both for the girls and for herself.

"Are you excited to be here?" Jesse asked her, while they waited for the event to start.

"I am, I've never seen the new Bellas performing before."

"I'm glad you liked your present."

"I _always_ like your presents."

A few minutes after their conversation, the first group took the stage. Beca wasn't surprised to see the usual groups: The Hullabahoos, The Whiffenpoofs, and The Sil'hooettes were some of them, and they were as good as always with their amazing covers of Poison, Lenny Kravitz, and Beyoncé. Beca considered her knowledge of a Cappella to be decent enough to evaluate the groups, and although she liked them, she was sure she had seen better performances.

Eventually, there was group who stood out from the crowd thanks to their rendition of Pete Townshend's " _Who Are You_ ": The Beelzebubs. Beca thought it was a weird choice of song, but surprisingly for her, they had done an excellent arrangement.

"They were very good." Jesse pointed out, as the group left the stage after a standing ovation.

"They will be very hard to beat."

"You know, the Trebles would be National Champions if they were here."

"Maybe, but they couldn't go pass Semi-Finals."

"It was a very tight competition."

Then, the master of ceremonies announced the Barden Bellas were next, and the all-female group took the stage. As always, they were wearing their yellow scarfs and their navy blue clothes, although their outfit was much more casual than it was in the old days.

When Beca and Emily made eye contact, Beca cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Yo go, Em!" She shouted at her, and made her a thumbs up. In that moment, Emily blew the pitch pipe, which was the signal the girls were waiting for to start.

Emily wasn't the arranger Beca was, but somehow she had managed to come up with a pretty decent mashup of Maroon 5's " _Sugar_ " and Katy Perry's " _Birthday_ ". Beca was thrilled to see the new Bellas perform for the first time, and she noticed they were extremely talented and sounded quite awesome together. However, she also noticed they seemed nervous and sang a little off-key, and some of their movements were clumsy and uncoordinated. Sadly, she didn't believe they would take the trophy back to Atlanta, but Emily had fulfill her promise of leading the Bellas back to the ICCAs. Beca couldn't feel prouder of her.

The crowd seemed to enjoy the group's presentation quite a lot, as they gave them a standing ovation after they were done. Beca and Jesse stood up and started clapping like crazy.

"Do you think they'll win it?" Jesse asked her, as he cheered on the girls.

"I don't think so, no. Although they were pretty good, I'm sure the judges loved the other guys more because they went for something more… classical." Beca answered, with a hint of sadness in her voice but a big smile on her face.

"Then why are you so smiley?"

"Because this is not a defeat. These girls were very scared tonight, and I understand them. They have a lot of potential and they will learn from this; they'll be champions next year, mark my words."

"Not if the Trebles are back in the game." Jesse said, and winked at her.

* * *

In the end, Beca was right. The Beelzebubs won the competition and were pronounced National Champions, and the Barden Bellas ended up in second place. It was a very good result, and the girls decided to go out and celebrate in some bar in New York. Beca managed to see Emily backstage, and after congratulating her for her performance, they agreed they would meet the next day to have lunch before Emily left for Atlanta. She then reunited with Jesse and they both went outside to the streets of Manhattan.

It was a clear night, and Beca was surprised to see there weren't many people on the street. Jesse kept talking about the competition, and he seemed to be in a very good mood. Beca, on the other hand, was paying little attention to all the stuff he was saying.

"Are you okay?" He asked her, as they walked by the fountain that was located in the Josie Robertson Plaza, outside Lincoln Center.

"Yeah." She was quick to point out. "Why do you ask?"

"You seem very deep in thought. What is it that you are thinking?"

"Well…"

"Well… what?"

"I was thinking in how important this place is for us."

He stopped walking, and she stopped as well.

"What do you mean?"

"This is the place where we shared our first kiss. You remember it, don't you?"

A smile appeared upon his face, as if he were remembering the event.

"Of course I do. It's one of the happiest moments in my life."

"It's one of the happiest moments in my life, too."

"To be honest, my life hasn't been the same since that kiss."

"Neither has mine."

"But I don't understand, why are you bringing it up now?" He said, a bit confused.

She swallowed, visibly nervous. However, she tried to remain as calm as she could. She took a deep breath, cleared her throat, and started singing a song:

 _I've heard it said_

 _That people come into our lives for a reason_

 _Bringing something we must learn_

 _And we are led_

 _To those who help us most, to grow_

 _If we let them_

 _And we help them in return_

 _Well, I don't know if I believe that's true_

 _But I know I'm who I am today_

 _Because I knew you..._

As Beca sang, she noticed Jesse was looking at her in shock. She didn't stop, though, and kept on singing.

 _Like a comet pulled from orbit_

 _As it passes the sun_

 _Like a stream that meets a boulder_

 _Halfway through the wood_

 _Who can say if I've been changed for the better?_

 _But because I knew you_

 _I have been changed for good_

Once she was done, she noticed Jesse was completely stunned. He obviously wasn't expecting her to burst into song in the middle of the street.

"Did you like it?" He nodded, still in shock. "Well, what do you think of it?"

"You know I love to hear you sing." He said, with a slight tremor in his voice. "You have a lovely voice, Becs."

"And what will your answer be?" She confronted him, and surprised him even more than before.

"I'm not sure I understand what you are trying to tell me."

"Oh, I think you do."

 _Okay Beca, moment of truth_. _Like we rehearsed it_.

"I've been thinking in how much my life has changed since I met you, and how being around you makes me feel. I´ve been asking myself: _'Do you still feel the same way you felt after your first month together, or your first year? Does he keep driving you crazy? Do you still feel that rush of excitement whenever you see him, or when he texts you, or when he says something nice to you?_ ' Well, the answer to all of those questions is: ' _Yes_ '."

She took a deep breath before continuing.

"It's true that getting married isn't really necessary these days, especially since you and I have been together for five years. You might ask yourself: _'For what? What's the point?_ ' Well, the truth is I don't have an answer to that. I have no idea if this is going to work. I don't know if we will be together till death do us part or if we'll break up tomorrow." She shrugged to give some extra emphasis to her words. "I don't know, but the truth is I see us growing old together, surrounded by old DVDs and piles of CDs. I imagine myself spending the rest of my life with you."

She took another deep breath before saying the most important part of her speech.

"We get to choose what we want, and I chose to be with you. I _love you_ , and I want to marry you."

Once again, Jesse was completely stunned. Beca's words had hit him like a hammer, and he seemed to be processing all of her speech.

"So, do you accept?" She asked him after a brief moment, with a hint of panic in her voice.

"I... I don't know what to say, you've left me completely speechless. To be honest, I never thought I'd heard you say that to me."

"I never thought I'd say that to _anybody_ , but I guess love makes us do crazy shit."

He laughed and shook his head, and reminded Beca of the time he realized she was singing " _Don't You (Forget about Me)_ " to him at the ICCAs.

"Well, after a speech like that, you've left me without many options."

"Oh?"

Suddenly, a smile appeared upon his face. Beca took it as a good sign, and smiled as well.

"I accept!" He exclaimed, visibly excited.

"You do? You _really_ do?"

"Of course! Do you think I'm an idiot?"

Beca felt her heart was about to explode. She threw her arms around Jesse's neck and they kissed. Some nearby people were staring at her, but little she cared. She had already done embarrassing things for Jesse before, and kissing him in public was at the bottom of the list.

After they were done kissing, they merged into a hug. Beca felt as happy as she had never felt in her life, and wished that moment would last forever.

"By the way, where's my engagement ring?" Jesse asked her.

 _Of course he had to ruin the moment with his goofiness._

"Shut up."

* * *

That night, when they returned home, Beca went directly to her bedroom for the Wishing Ball Jesse had given her as a birthday present the previous year. She wrote a two-word phrase in a small piece of paper and carefully curled it and tucked it into the ball. After that, she and Jesse celebrated their engagement all night long.

The phrase she had written was ' _For Good_ '.

* * *

 **A/N: So, what did you think of Beca's proposal? Did you like it? I really hope you did, because it took everything I am to write it. Thank you for reading!**


	18. A future kid

**A/N: Hi! I'm sorry I didn't update in the whole week, but the truth is I had to be rushed to the hospital on Tuesday because I have Pneumonia :( It sucks, but I'm feeling much better now and I'm also strong enough to write this chapter. It's a short one, but the previous two were really long so I thought it'd be better this way. I'll try to update during the weekend, but thank you for your patience :) Enjoy!**

* * *

That night, Beca couldn't sleep. She didn't know why, but she had been rolling in bed for a couple of hours. It had been a long and exciting day and she was extremely tired, but a weird thought was preventing her from falling asleep. She turned to face Jesse, who was peacefully sleeping beside her.

"Jesse." He didn't answer. Beca put her hand on his shoulder and gently moved him. "Jesse." She had raised her voice. He groaned, and turned in bed. "Jesse, wake up!" Beca said, with insistence.

He slowly open his eyes. He yawned and looked at her, a little disoriented.

"What is it?"

"We have to talk."

He rubbed his eyes with confusion.

"Can't it wait until tomorrow?"

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because it's important!"

He groaned once again, but sat up straight.

"This better be good, Becs. I was dreaming I won an Oscar!"

Beca rolled her eyes.

"You and your nerdy dreams."

"Well, I'm all ears. What do you wanna talk about?"

"Do you wanna have kids?"

"What?"

She had obviously taken him by surprise.

"Kids, tiny humans."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes."

It took him a few seconds to answer her question.

"Maybe."

"Can you be a little more specific?"

"I like children, and raising my own would be pretty cool. I mean, if I don't have them it wouldn't be the end of the world, but it'd definitely be nice to be a dad. But I don't understand, why are you asking me this?"

"Because we are getting married, it's the kind of stuff we have to talk about at some point."

"Well, do _you_ want to have kids?"

She weighed on his words.

"I'd like to, but I don't think I would be very good at it."

"Why?"

"Because of my mom."

"What does she have to do in all this?"

"I'm scared I might end up making the same mistakes she did."

"Well, last time I checked you hadn't cheated on me with my best friend, so that's a pretty good start."

Jesse's harsh opinions were completely normal, given the fact that Joanne Ludwig-Mitchell had been such a terrible mother and wife. However, Beca wasn't in the mood to talk-trash about her.

"Jesse, please be serious for once." She said, a little annoyed.

"What do you want me to say? I've told you a thousand times you are not her, but you never seem to listen. Besides, why are you mentioning her now? I thought you had made peace with that subject ages ago."

"I guess the prospect of having children has made me remember it."

"Beca—"

"I'm sorry, but I can't help it!" She exclaimed, exasperated. "I would do it if I could, but it's not that easy, Jesse."

He immediately put his hands on her shoulders, like he always did whenever she got mad at something he said.

"Hey, calm down." He said, and gently caressed her arms and face. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said that. But I hate it when you get all sad because of her."

"I know, and please forgive me for bringing it up." She said, and sighed. "But you are the only one who knows about it, and the truth is I don't want my mommy issues to be an obstacle if you and I ever decide to start a family."

He smiled, and gently kissed her forehead.

"You don't have to apologize for anything, Becs. The good news is we aren't having any babies right now, right?" She nodded. "Which means we still have plenty of time to think it through and enjoy our time together. There's no need to rush things up, okay? One step at a time, we just got engaged five hours ago."

"You are right." She said, and tucked her brown hair behind her ears. "Just to sum things up, you _would_ like to have a kid but not in this exact moment."

"That's right, although I wouldn't mind if you want to have them now." He said, with a mischievous smile.

"'Them'?" She asked, and raised an eyebrow.

"Well, how many do you want?"

"One, thank you very much. Preferably a girl, boys can be stupid from time to time."

"Not _all_ of them. Anyway, I would also love to have a girl."

"Why is that?"

"When I was a child I really wanted to have a daughter to dress her up as Princess Leia for Halloween, or as Arwen. You know, from _The Lord of the Rings_." He was quick to clarify, after Beca looked at him with skeptical eyes. "It was my dream when I was eight."

Beca sighed and shook her head.

"And I thought you couldn't get any weirder."

"Just because you don't like to dress up it doesn't mean she won't like it, either!"

"Don't forget I'll be her mother, so there's a pretty good chance she'll take after me."

"Not if I have a say in the matter." He said, with determination.


	19. The way you make me feel

**A/N: Hi there, happy new year!**

 **I wanna apologize to all of you for abandoning you for so long, but I got really, really busy (Pneumonia, College, lots of exams, holidays, the new Star Wars movie, my birthday...) Anyway, I really owe it to you to finish this story, so I hope you can forgive me for being away for so long :)**

* * *

"Hey, are you busy?"

"Not for you. What is it?"

"I have some news I wanna share with you."

"What kind of news?"

"Good, I believe. But first of all, have you talked to Emily?"

"Yeah, she told me everything. It makes me sad that they didn't win, but they had fun and they enjoyed it, so I guess that'll do."

"Well, there's always the next year, I'm sure they'll win it eventually. They were great, you should have seen them. They looked so happy and thrilled, they have a promising future ahead of them."

"Anyway, what is it that you wanted to tell me?"

"Oh, right." Beca took a deep breath. She knew Chloe was going to freak out at the news of her imminent wedding. "Okay, last night I did something that is gonna make you very proud."

"Really? Did you cook something worth eating?"

"No."

"Have you finally learned how to properly shave your legs?"

"No."

"Did you remember to wash, fold and store your clothes without setting up an alarm?"

"Shut up!" Beca exclaimed, with impatience.

"I'm just teasing you, keep your pants on. Okay, tell me what is it that you did."

"I asked Jesse to marry me."

Her friend burst out laughing.

"Haha, you almost got me this time! That's a good one."

"No, I—"

"You are a very funny girl, Beca."

Chloe couldn't stop laughing, and Beca rolled her eyes.

"I'm serious! I did it in front of twenty strangers, it was kind of embarrassing."

"Yeah, right."

"You can ask him yourself if you don't believe me."

In that moment, Chloe finally understood Beca was telling the truth.

"Oh my God, did you really propose?"

"I did. I can't believe it myself."

"I really hope this is not a joke, Beca. Because if it is—"

"Do you really think I would joke with something like this?" Beca said, a little exasperated. "I _sang_ to him, for Christ's sake!"

"What song?"

"' _For Good_ '."

"Oh, you've spent too much time with me."

"I know."

"Well, congratulations!" Her friend screamed from the other side of the phone. "Oh my God, I'm so happy for you!"

"Thanks, Chlo."

"You have to fill me up with all the details. How did Jesse react?"

"You know how much Jesse enjoys cheesy stuff, so he was very excited. I'd say it was a nice surprise for him."

"I can imagine. Do you have a date already?"

"We haven't talked about that. In fact, we haven't told anybody yet. You are the only person who knows, but as soon as we set up a date I'll let you know, so you can drag your ass over here because there's no way in hell I'm doing this without you."

"I'm touched."

"Anyway, I gotta go but I wanted you to know the news firsthand."

"I'm very happy for you, guys. You deserve all the happiness in the world, and I wish only the best for you."

"I know, Chlo. Thank you for the good wishes."

* * *

Jesse wanted their wedding to be on the 4th of May, the Star Wars Day. Beca refused, not only because she found it too nerdy even for Jesse, but because it was a Thursday and it was more difficult for people to attend. Instead, they moved the date to the 6th of May, a Saturday.

Most of Beca's friends had travelled to New York to attend the civil ceremony. Cynthia-Rose went with her wife, Maddison, a tall and beautiful black woman who looked a lot like Viola Davis; Stacie was accompanied by her boyfriend, Stan, an underwear model; Aubrey and Chloe were each other's plus one, as they were both single at the moment; Fat Amy went with Bumper, her fiancée; Emily and Benji, who were also engaged, went together as well. Beca also invited her friends from _Residual Heat_ , Bill and Allie, and Frederick Hammond, the taxi driver, was one of the guests of honor.

Before leaving for City Hall, Beca took a few minutes to reflect on what she was about to do. In a couple of hours she and Jesse would be married, and she wanted them to stay that way for as long as they might live. It was a very serious commitment, and she wasn't taking it lightly. She was excited, sure, but was also feeling more nervous than she thought —or wanted. She couldn't help it.

She was so absorbed in her thoughts that she didn't notice when Chloe entered her room. Her friend had chosen a navy blue dress for the civil ceremony, and was wearing her long, read hair down. She looked gorgeous, and Beca thought with a bit of jealousy that Chloe had all the femininity that she lacked.

"Hey! Are you ready?" Chloe asked her, with a smile.

"Yeah, almost."

"What do you mean with 'almost'? What were you doing?"

"I was just sitting here, thinking in what I'm about to do."

Chloe looked at her with fear in her eyes.

"Oh God, don't tell me you got cold feet!"

"No, of course not!" Beca quickly reassured her. "I'm just feeling very nervous."

"That's natural. I don't think there's a single woman out there that didn't feel nervous on her wedding day."

"You know, I used to think that women who got married were stupid, and I never understood why they did it. The irony, right?" Beca said, and sighed.

"Well, my grandmother used to say that you can never understand why people do stupid things for love unless you, yourself, experience how it is to be in love." Chloe pointed out.

"Your grandmother was a wise lady."

"She was, God rest her soul, but she was also kind of a bitch."

Beca laughed.

"I feel like falling in love with Jesse is both the best thing that has ever happened to me, and the worst."

"What makes you think that?"

"Love makes us vulnerable. _And_ stupid."

"Maybe being in love and being stupid are exactly the same thing."

"Your grandmother again?"

"Nope, it was all me." Her friend said, with a smile. "But we are all entitled to a little stupidity now and then, don't you think?"

Beca weighed on her words.

"Yeah, I guess you are right." She then shook her head, and grabbed the last of her stuff. "All right then, let's do this." She said, with a smile.

* * *

Beca loved rings.

She liked to wear at least one all the time, and there were two pieces that she was particularly fond of: the one Aubrey gave her as a thank you gift for helping the Bellas win the ICCAs, and the one Jesse gave her at their first date (she always wore it on her left index finger, and never took it off). Now, she had added another one to her precious collection: her wedding ring.

It was a classic 4mm wedding band, crafted of 10k yellow gold with a high-polish finish. It was a simple design, but both Jesse and Beca were pleased with the result. They personalized both rings with an inside engraving, which read " _Endings are the best part_ ".

Once the ceremony was done and they were both wearing the rings, Beca noticed Jesse couldn't stop looking at the small piece of jewelry.

"You can stop staring at it, it's not going to grow wings." She said, obviously teasing him.

"I've never wore a ring before, it's a brand new feeling for me!" He was like a child with a new toy, excited and anxious at the same time.

"It's not a big deal, Jess. You'll get used to it."

"Oh, I don't think I'll ever get used to being married to you." He said, and gave her a soft kiss that sent shivers through Beca's spine.

"You always find a way to say something nice to me. How do you do it?"

"It's a secret." He said, with a smirk. "That's why you love me, isn't it?"

"It's one of the many reasons." She admitted.

He gently held her hand in his.

"Becs, have I made you happy?" He asked her, while looking at her with those puppy eyes that always managed to take her breath away.

"Of course you have!"

"Really? You swear?"

"Yep. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here right now. Why do you ask?"

"Because if there's anything you'd like to tell me—"

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Have I ever done anything that has made you angry, or sad?"

"Well, obviously when you graduated early and left for LA for six months—"

"Okay, except for that."

The truth was that she couldn't think of something Jesse had done that had bothered her. Not something serious, at least. Sure, there were the obvious little things like his movie obsession, or his nerdiness, or his permanent positive attitude. But she had learned to live with all of that stuff, because she was aware of how important those things were to him.

"I can't think of anything right now." She finally said. "Although I'm gonna think about it."

* * *

Jesse and Beca's wedding had consisted in a simple civil ceremony surrounded only by their closest friends. Beca wasn't a fan of crowded and noisy parties, and Jesse didn't mind not having a big celebration as long as she was happy.

After the wedding, they reunited with their friends at a small restaurant a couple of blocks away from their apartment, called _Dorrian's Red Hand_. It wasn't fancy or anything, but it was the kind of place in which they could have a nice dinner and drinks.

Once in the restaurant, Beca introduced Bill and Allie to her Bella friends.

"These are Stacie, Fat Amy, Cynthia-Rose, Emily, Aubrey and Chloe." She said, while pointing at each of her friends. "Girls, say hello to William and Allison, although everyone calls them Bill and Allie."

The girls friendly greeted them and they chatted for a few minutes, before Stacie immediately noticed how handsome Bill was. She quickly made her move.

"So, Bill, are you single?" She said, with a smirk.

"Stacie, don't." Beca stopped her, before Bill could even answer her question. "Girls, take her out of here."

"What? What did I do?" She asked, confused, as Aubrey, Cynthia-Rose, Emily and Fat Amy grabbed her by the arms.

"You have a boyfriend, hottie. Don't push your luck." Fat Amy told her as they walked away, leaving Beca and Chloe with Bill and Allie.

"Are all of your friends like this?" Bill asked, clearly entertained.

"No, only Stacie." Chloe said, and shook her head. "I'm sorry that she made you feel uncomfortable, especially in front of your girlfriend."

"Chlo, Allie is not Bill's girlfriend." Beca was quick to clarify.

"She's not?" The redhead asked, with surprise.

"No, we have been friends for years." Allie said. "He was my sister's husband, but she broke his heart."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's okay, it doesn't hurt anymore." He reassured her. "Although I gotta say I still tear up whenever I listen to ' _Take it All_ ' by Adele".

"Well, I guess we've all been in that stage at some point of our lives."

"Good thing is we have one another, right?"

Chloe laughed, and Beca had the weird feeling that she and Allie were being third wheels.

"Beca, didn't you have another friend you wanted me to meet?"

Allie had clearly read her mind.

"Oh, I completely forgot! Come with me."

Neither Chloe nor Bill noticed when both girls walked away.

* * *

"You know, relationships are my area of expertise." Stacie said, after dinner was served. "And I always knew you and Jesse were going to last forever."

Beca wasn't completely sure that Stacie was the expert she claimed to be.

"Oh, don't lie, Stacie." Fat Amy said. "Don't you remember what you said after Jesse went to LA? ' _I told you they weren't going to last beyond senior year'_."

"Did you?" Beca asked, with her eyes wide open.

"Well," Stacie said, a little nervous, "you gotta admit that not every couple survives a long distance relationship, but you did! Isn't that awesome?"

"Nice save." Chloe said from her seat beside Fat Amy.

"That's very sweet, Stacie. Thank you." Jesse said, with a smile.

"The truth is you are no ordinary woman, Beca, so it's only fair that you get to be with a man as unique as you."

Benji always found a way to say the nicest things.

"I'd like to make a toast." Chloe said, and stood up. She raised her glass of champagne, and cleared her throat. "This pair of weirdos has taught us what real love looks like. Jesse, Beca, never forget the little things that make your relationship special, because that's the true essence of your love. I wish you the best of luck in this new journey you are about to begin. May the future bring only good stuff to you; you deserve it. It is an honor for me to be your friend, I've been there since day one of your relationship and I hope I get to be around for many more years to come. To Jesse and Beca, and to new memories!"

They all clapped, and clinked their glasses. Beca was very impressed with her friend's speech. It had been very simple, but also honest and heartwarming. If Chloe ever got married, Beca wanted to make an equally beautiful speech for her.

* * *

"Thank God it is all over." Jesse said when they arrived at their apartment after dinner. "I'm feeling really tired."

"We've been married for four hours and you are already tired? I thought you were better than that!"

"I love our friends, but the only person I truly wanted to be with was you." He put her hands around her waist and gave her a long, passionate kiss.

"I've been thinking in what you told me earlier today." Beca told him after the kiss. "The truth is I can't think of something you have done that has bothered me. Not something serious, at least."

He looked at her with suspicion.

"Seriously?"

"Seriously. However, I can think of many things you have done that have made me quite happy, like all those hours at the radio station."

"Oh?"

"Do you remember how you always tried to make me laugh with those stupid vinyl?"

"I thought you didn't like it."

"I hated it at the beginning, but I grew fond of it." And she was telling the truth. After spending long hours stacking CDs at the radio station, it was nice to have Jesse beside her to make her laugh from time to time.

"You never said it!"

"I'm saying it now! Have you never kept to yourself something you think about me?"

Jesse stood quiet for a moment.

"Actually, I have." He finally said.

"Well, this is the time to say it." She encouraged him.

Jesse took away his hands from her waist, and sat in front of a large piano he had inherited from his grandmother. Beca loved to hear him play, specially when he sang, too. He cracked his knuckles and began playing a song that was quite familiar to Beca.

 _She's got a way about her_

 _I don't know what it is_

 _but I know that I can't live without her_

 _She's got a way of pleasin'_

 _I don't know why it is_

 _but there doesn't have to be a reason anyway_

He was singing Billy Joel's " _She's Got a Way_ ", and the song sounded amazing in Jesse's smooth voice.

 _She's got a smile that heals me_

 _I don't know why it is_

 _but I have to laugh when she reveals me_

 _And she's got a way of talkin'_

 _Don't know why it is_

 _but it lifts me up when we are walkin' anywhere_

He looked up from the keyboard and smiled at Beca, who smiled at him in return.

 _She comes to me when I'm feelin' down_

 _inspires me without a sound_

 _She touches me and I get turned around_

 _She's got a way of showin'_

 _How I make her feel_

 _and I find the strength to keep on goin'_

 _And she's got a light around her_

 _And everywhere she goes_

 _million dreams of love surround her everywhere_

 _She comes to me when I'm feelin' down_

 _inspires me without a sound_

 _She touches me, I get turned around_

 _She's got a smile that heals me_

 _I don't know why it is_

 _but I have to laugh when she reveals me_

 _And she's got a way about her_

 _I don't know what it is_

 _but I know that I can't live without her anyway_

When the song was over, Beca was surprised to notice a few discrete tears were streaming down her face.

"Did you like it?" He asked her, eagerly.

"I loved it." She admitted. "But why that song?"

"Because it's the only one that reflects the way you make me feel. You inspire me, you make me wanna do stuff I never thought of doing. You show me a universe full of possibilities. Your smile brightensup my days, despite how bad they were. You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I feel so lucky I get to share my life with you."

Beca felt the sudden urge to say a lot of things, but Jesse had left her speechless.

"I… feel lucky, too." She simply said, and smiled.

* * *

 **I hope you enjoyed this chapter, if there's something you'd particularlylike to see please write it in the comments below. The truth is I came up with a Star Wars fic and I'm gonna start writing it tomorrow, but I'm gonna try to update this as soon as possible. Again, thank you for your patience and consideration! :)**

 **P.S. You should really listen to that song in case you haven't heard it before, it's beautiful!**


	20. A Wonderful Adventure

**A/N: Hello hello hello! I'm baaaack! :D :D I'm sorry for my long absence, but the truth is my inspiration disappeared after the last chapter and, although I already have the ending for this fic, it didn't feel like time to end it. There are still a lot of things to say and write, and I decided to put the story on hold until I got inspired. I hope you enjoy this chapter, it's based on my personal experience at a Coldplay concert a month ago, which is the most wonderful thing I have ever seen in my life. Thanks for your patience and your loyalty! R &R**

* * *

 **Saturday, May 27th, 2017**

Because of Beca's work and Jesse's school obligations, they were unable to go out of town for their honeymoon. Instead, they spend a whole weekend touring Manhattan from Battery Park to Baker Field, and eating tons of junk food and drinking like a couple of teenagers. They also went to see a Broadway show and rode the Ferry, and went to a Mets game in Citi Field. It hadn't been the dream vacation in Cabo they both had planned, but it was the funniest and most beautiful weekend in Beca's life.

However, the following week, they went back to reality.

When Jesse first started school, they used to spend most of their weekends and afternoons together. They visited museums, or went to the movies. However, as weeks went by, Jesse's school stuff and Beca's career began demanding all of their time. She had been promoted to a Coordinator position, and she usually stayed up late working and reviewing unknown bands' performances. Most nights she slept at Allie's place, and had leftover Chinese food for breakfast. Jesse, on the other hand, had a lot of school projects that had to be done, and he spent most of his day writing music and studying on campus, and had no time to visit Beca in Newport —or in her office, for all that mattered, as she was always stuck in meetings. The whole thing was putting a strain in their relationship, and Beca was terrified her marriage to Jesse would end up failing like every other marriage she ever knew of.

Still, when they talked on the phone, Jesse always told her he loved her at least five times per call, and he was his usual sweet with her. He talked about his plans for the future and his projects, he shared with her the things he had learned and asked for her opinions about everything he did. He never mentioned their little crisis, and sometimes Beca wondered if it was all in her head. Of course, such a delicate topic couldn't be discussed in the phone.

Three weeks after the marriage, as an excuse to spend some quality time together and as a late wedding present, Beca gave Jesse tickets to the Coldplay concert at MetLife Stadium. She wasn't a die-hard fan of the group, but Jesse adored them and kind of idolized them. Beca liked to tease him saying Chris Martin was his man crush, something Jesse had no problem admitting.

"If you are going to have a man crush," he used to say, "it better be a rock star!"

The concert was supposed to start at 8:00 p.m. but they arrived at the stadium three hours early to buy souvenirs, or 'concert crap' like Beca used to call it. Jesse bought three t-shirts and a sweatshirt, and Beca got herself a ' _Viva la Vida_ ' beanie. At the entrance, two guys gave them a couple of _Xylobands_ , some sort of flashing wristband Beca had only seen in YouTube videos of Coldplay performances. Jesse had one _Xyloband_ from a previous concert, but a 'friend' had stolen it from him.

"Remind me again how this works," She said, while holding the device on her hand.

"It's quite simple. For starters, you have to wear it," he gently adjusted it around Beca's wrist. "It will lit once the show starts."

"That's it?"

"'That's it?' She says," he shook his head. "Imagine one hundred thousand of these things glowing in the dark. I can assure you, you have never seen anything like it. You won't forget it, trust me."

Beca was a skeptical person, but she decided she would give Jesse the benefit of the doubt.

After their little argument, they went for a hot dog and two sodas. Jesse wanted to walk around the stadium to make time until the show, but Beca insisted in going directly to their seats and listen to the warm-up bands.

"You are becoming quite a workaholic, you know?" Jesse said, a little irritated.

"Why?"

"I'm just saying we are here to enjoy our time together, and instead you want to scout the bands."

"Frank asked me to check if one of these dudes could be the next Lenny Kravitz," she said, ignoring Jesse's comment as she took a sip from her beer. "You can help me, if you want. What do you think of them?"

"I gotta be completely honest with you, I don't think they will ever leave their parents' garage."

"I agree."

They remained in silence for a couple of minutes, while the band kept playing in the background. Apparently, Beca and Jesse weren't the only ones who thought they sucked. People lost interest pretty quickly, and most of the audience was trying to find something else to entertain themselves with.

"I would love to work in A&R," Jesse said, after a while.

"Really?" Beca said, with surprise. "Why is that?"

"You always talk about how amazing it is and what a great time you are having working there. It sounds pretty cool; I would love to try it, but I'm afraid it demands an ability I don't have."

"Which is…?"

"Identifying talent."

"People in A&R not only scout, they are also in charge of public relations and the creative process. Song selection, choosing musicians, stuff like that; it depends on the branch," Beca repeated those same words to dozens of people every day, because of all the meetings she had to attend. "Maybe it's not your area of expertise but you'll learn, just like I did. There's an opening if you are interested, you should come and talk to Frank."

"I don't know. I mean, I _need_ to find a job, and I would love working with you, but I'm already feeling a lot of pressure with school and everything."

"What's 'everything'?"

"Well, we are newlyweds and we barely get to see each other. It makes me kind of sad," he said out of nowhere.

 _Crap_. _So he has thought about it, too_.

"I know. It makes me sad, too."

"More than sad, it frustrates me. You deserve a better wedding present than a walk in Central Park and a cheap beer with French fries. I'm so disappointed with myself for not giving you the life you deserve for supporting me and loving me the way you do."

"Jess—"

"I'm just saying, our life together should be an adventure. Not what has been for the last three weeks."

Beca hated seeing Jesse like that. He was always so cheerful and positive, and seeing him in such a dark place depressed her. She wished there was something she could do to change his mood. The only thing she could think of was holding his hand in hers.

"It seems to me we both have a lot to talk about regarding this… situation. Do you wanna do it right here, right now?"

He weighed on her words.

"I don't know. There's no privacy."

"Then I have a proposition for you: we keep criticizing these dudes, we go for more beer and, once the concert starts, we sing until our throats end up all soared and we can't even talk in a whisper. We jump and clap until our feet and hands fall off from our bodies. We get so drunk that we will end in some hotel in Vegas with a monkey and a tiger and a baby. We forget about everything; school, work, problems. And tomorrow, once we go back to reality, we can talk all night long if you want to. Whatever it takes to fix this. But for now, we just live the moment and be happy. It's just us, and a wonderful night ahead of us."

A smile appeared upon Jesse's face. He squeezed her hand and kissed her, and sat up straight.

"Okay, let's have fun," he said, and changed the subject. "These guys aren't as terrible; don't you think?"

"Meh, I'm not that sure. Their guitarist sucks!"

"Come on, give them some credit!"

"Why? They suck."

"They get to perform before a Coldplay concert. Even if they suck, at least you will remember them for something."

He had a point.

* * *

After the crappy bands were done, Jesse and Beca only had to wait for twenty minutes for the actual show to start. ' _O mio babbino caro_ ' started playing through the speakers, and people moved anxiously on their seats. They knew the concert was about to begin, and they couldn't wait for the song to be over.

After the last note was sang, all lights went out. People stood up from their seats and began cheering and whistling. And then, the wristbands were lit.

Beca wasn't easy to impress, but she couldn't help to feel a little overwhelmed once all the _Xylobands_ were lit. Everything was dark, except for the bright red lights that came from the wristbands. It was beautiful, definitely the most gorgeous sight Beca had ever seen in her entire life, and it gave her goosebumps. Some people around her were crying, and a voice came out from the speakers. Beca identified it as Charlie Chaplin's speech from _The Great Dictator_ , a movie she had watched with Jesse in Barden.

 _I'm sorry, but I don't want to be an emperor. That's not my business. I don't want to rule or conquer anyone. I should like to help everyone - if possible - Jew, Gentile - black man - white. We all want to help one another. Human beings are like that. We want to live by each other's happiness - not by each other's misery. We don't want to hate and despise one another. In this world there is room for everyone. And the good earth is rich and can provide for everyone._ _To those who can hear me, I say - do not despair. The misery that is now upon us is but the passing of greed - the bitterness of men who fear the way of human progress. The hate of men will pass, and dictators die, and the power they took from the people will return to the people. And so long as men die, liberty will never perish. "The Kingdom of God is within man" - not one man nor a group of men, but in all men! In you! You, the people have the power - the power to create machines. The power to create happiness! You, the people, have the power to make this life free and beautiful, to make this life a wonderful adventure!_

 _Very appropriate for an album that talks about adventures_.

The band started playing ' _A Head Full of Dreams_ ', and Beca decided she would not worry about her future with Jesse; instead, she would enjoy the moment and make wonderful memories while she could. Because Chaplin was right. They had the power to create happiness, to make their lives free and beautiful, to make their lives a wonderful adventure.


End file.
